Conclusion

Iran has a longstanding policy of exporting its revolution, especially in vulnerable regions of the world. Iran makes a concerted effort to use radical ideology to promote loyalty from terrorist groups, hoping that loyalty translates into a willingness to do its bidding in the event of a conflict with the U.S. However, Tehran does not only look to build partnerships with terrorist groups. Its relationships with Venezuela, Russia, and China, are based on the shared vision of a new world order in which the U.S. is no longer the dominant power. Towards that end, Iran and Venezuela help each other resist U.S. efforts to induce a behavior change. While there are notable differences between Iran and Venezuela—Iran is an Islamic theocracy, and Venezuela is a majority-Christian socialist regime—their similarities and shared interests are stronger. They are dictatorships that regularly deploy violence as a response to persistent, and in the case of Iran, intensifying political legitimacy crises at home. They are both inherently and deeply corrupt, heavily sanctioned by the West, and depend on one another economically. Most pertinently, they share a convenient anti-American hostility and are focused on undermining U.S. influence in their respective regions.