IRAN HAS USED PROXY WARS TO ADVANCE AS WELL AS PROTECT ITS GEOPOLITICAL INTERESTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST & NORTHERN AFRICA. HERE'S HOW.
In the Cold War era, Proxy Wars were a commonplace in regions where the interests of the Soviets & the Americans collided. This resulted in loss of life, property & powers of authority on a massive scale. Still 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union; the Americans find themselves embroiled in another proxy war. This time its against the Middle East Giant: Iran
Since the revolution in 1979, Iran has altered its foreign policy drastically. It abandoned its western embracing policy & embraced a Shia friendly one on religious lines. It also transitioned to a theocracy. Thus a heavy onus was put on promulgating the spread of Shia Islam & protecting Shia interests.The Iranians are heavily involved in foreign conflicts through the Revolutionary Guards Corps (Army of the Supreme Leader). A part of the IRGC called the Qods Force is specifically formed to fight outside Iran.
Below I will briefly highlight the different nations Iran is fighting proxy wars in:
ISRAEL
Hamas is a pro-Palestine military outfit designed to thwart Israeli domination in the Gaza Strip & Lebanon. By actively undermining a Jewish state, Iran has projected itself as a protector of Islam defying the more traditional leader of the Islamic World, Saudi Arabia.
YEMEN
The current civil war in Yemen can be described as one of the worst humanitarian crisis in 100 years. It stems off from KSA-Iran proxy war. On one side is the Pro Saudi President Abdrabbu Mansur Hadi & the Houthi rebels supported by Iran. Once again, its a case of Shia-Sunni rivalry. Since 2011, the crisis has been trudging along creating havoc & despair without any sign of real ceasefire.
SOMALIA
This war torn African nation has plunged into anarchy & disruption since the 1990s. After a military junta ruler was overthrown, After the collapse of UN led Central government in 1995, there is a power vacuum in Somalia. Iran is supporting the al-Shabaab, a rebel group aiming to oust the foreign forces & declare Sharia law. Here the target for Iran is US Forces which have been in the country since 1990s.
SYRIA
The Iran government is a firm backer of the Assad regime in Syria. Basically this is because Assad is a Shia ruler over the Sunni majority population! "Minor" matters like genocide of civilians, threat of nuclear war, sheer autocratic rule & poor humanitarian conditions doesn't matter! Iran here also has the support of major powers like Russia and Iraq.
LEBANON
Syria's neighbour Lebanon faced political upheaval in the late 90s . Although its been peaceful in the recent past, But disappointment with the religion based political system, mismanagement of the economy & rampant corruption have brought people back on the streets. Iran taking advantage has created a radical militant group called Hezbollah (which has been active way before the recent demonstrations).
IRAQ
Despite being Iran's neighbour, Iran still has a proxy network of militias. These were first formed in the 1980s to overthrow the despotic Saddam Hussein. Nowadays, they are used against American troops. Although there are no large scale groups like Houthis or al Shabab, the Iranians still exert heavy influence upon the country's certain rebel groups.
MY TALKING POINTS
It will interesting to see who Iran sides with in Libya. On one side is UN recognised government backed by Turkey & Qatar. On the other hand is General Haftaar supported by Russia, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia & France. I think Iran might join Turkey here to undermine KSA.
The main reason why Qassem Soleimani was assassinated by USA in 2020 was because this guy had major contacts with all Iran proxies. He was considered by many to be the 2nd most powerful man in Iran. He was the head of the Qods Force I touched upon earlier.
Iran's proxies are aimed at spread of Shia Islam or undermining USA or KSA.
Iran may have to reduce spending on proxies due to American sanctions, crippling economy and falling oil prices.
Have a good day ahead! All feedback is welcome.