Iran-Venezuela Relations: Presidents, Postures, and Pressures

Lecture by Eric Lob

[Diese Veranstaltung findet auf Englisch statt.]

Based on an extensive analysis of secondary sources in English, Persian, and Spanish, this paper examines the expanding relations between Iran and Venezuela during the twenty-first century. It seeks to identify the material and ideational factors that facilitate and constrain the expansion of these relations between countries that are not natural allies. Building on previous scholarly works, the paper uniquely explores these relations through a theoretical framework that comprehensively combines the individual, ideational, and structural levels of analysis. These levels include the perceptions and preferences of different presidents, their ideological postures of anti-imperialism, and the systemic pressures these countries confront in the form of fluctuating petroleum prices and shifting US sanctions. The paper argues that relations between Iran and Venezuela are dynamic due to their changing presidents, postures, and pressures during different periods. From a policy perspective, and even when there exists individual and ideological distance between these countries, their relations are reinforced by the imposition and intensification of US sanctions as the unintended consequence of a coercive wedge strategy.  

This event is part of the WONAGO Lecture Series. It will take place in Philturm Hörsaal C as well as online. For more information see here.