Posted on YouTube: November 13, 2023
Iran’s influence is continuing to grow, not only in the support of Hezbollah operatives, but especially through the netcasting and broadcasting of HispanTV, which sends out Iranian propaganda to the continent. And Iran assists the dictatorial regime in Venezuela.
Source: Why Iran’s Growing Influence in Venezuela Challenges the West
VOA
Michael Lipin
March 11, 2023WASHINGTON —
Iran is striving to expand its influence in fellow U.S. adversary Venezuela, which is hosting an Iranian cultural fair this week and seeking Iranian assistance to revive the ailing Venezuelan energy industry.…
Iran is troublemaking in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in this area of propaganda.
Whatever one thinks of pro-Jewish or pro-Israel lobbies in the United States, they are an antidote to some really ugly antisemitic disinformation out there. Indeed, Latin America is often drenched with anti-Israel agitprop that would not have been tolerated in the USA, until recently, which is a sad commentary on recent developments.
The anti-Israel indoctrination that America is sadly seeing now, Latin America has been drenched with for a long time.
Yet, oddly, Iran’s influence is more political than religious.
Why not religious?
Because Islam is being countered in Latin America – not by Jewish influence, as the Jewish population is usually small – but rather by a large and growing Evangelical Christian movement.
In Brazil, the population is 31% Evangelical.
In El Salvador, the population is 40% Evangelical — more than Catholics.
In Guatemala, the population is 40% Evangelical.
In Honduras, the population is 40% Evangelical.
In Chile, the population is 18% Evangelical.
In Argentina, the population is 15% Evangelical.
These Evangelicals tend to be very pro-Zionist.
So Iran’s influence is limited to the political arena, which is scary enough, though even in politics, the Evangelical church is competing successfully.
In the case of Chile and Brazil, the growing Evangelical power base has not stopped the governments from criticizing Israel, but it will prevent some of the Latin governments from going too far.
In one nation, Guatemala, the Evangelicals have made the country very friendly to Israel.
Posted on YouTube: February 18, 2022
El Salvador is particularly interesting, as it has an influential Palestinian (chiefly Christian) minority population. The Palestinian Christians tend to be more Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, though.
Posted on YouTube: May 26, 2019
Their present president, Nayib Bukele, is of Palestinian origin, yet somewhat pro-Israel.
So the Evangelicals are winning.
December 22, 2023 — major rewrite and title change.