Publications by Fellows: Massimo Ramaioli: Shiʽism as Ideological Vector: International and Domestic Security in Iranian Foreign Policy in Iraq
A chapter by our Fellow Massimo Ramaioli on Iranian foreign policy in Iraq is published in the volume Glocalized Security:
The volume, edited by Abu Bakarr Bah, combines a variety of disciplines, from sociology and political science to peace studies and public policy and administration, for case studies that draw from over three decades of international military interventions around the world, including Afghanistan, Turkey, Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria, and Nepal. Analyzing the intersectional relationship of the local and global, Glocalized Security provides new insights into the problems of international security and why international military interventions often fail to ensure peace and security in conflict zones where these factors have morphed into terrorism warfare or zones of national interest among major world and regional powers.
The chapter by Massimo Ramaioli analyzes the Iranian strategy in Iraq by proposing the concept of ideological vector, The author examines its effects, from a security perspective, on both Iran’s regional standing and Iraq’s domestic landscape. Specifically, he looks at how Iranian ambitions insist on and impact the neighbor’s security landscape in the context of Iraqi religious-political fabric. The concept of ideological vector explains how Iran manages to exploit the texture of such (local) fabric in order to further its (international) foreign policy agenda. Ultimately, he argues, this operation tends to serve Iran’s plans quite effectively. Iran has managed to assert itself as one of the most powerful player in the region, shoring up its security by extending influence on neighboring Iraq. At the same time, Iran’s maneuvering substantially compromises Iraq’s chances to (re)emerge as a functioning and independent country. In particular, Iranian sponsorship of largely autonomous Shiʽa militias—the main manifestation of Iran’s foray in Iraq—affects Iraqi domestic order and security. This dynamic illustrates the impossibility of confining security issues strictly to either the domestic or the international arenas. In fact, they are not siloed domains. This study affirms this contention, highlighting specific ways in which they interact and represent an instance of glocalized security.
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