GNSI Decision Brief: Summary Report on GNSI Research Initiative “Axis of Resistance”

Authors

• Arman Mahmoudian, University of South Florida

Files

Description

Since May 2025, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) has run the Axis of Resistance Initiative, convening eight panels and multiple expert interviews on Iran’s proxy network (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen), anchored by a review of Iran’s national security strategy. These discussions underscored that Tehran’s reliance on proxies is not simply a tool for expanding influence: it also helps limit attribution for attacks and brings the conflict to Israel’s borders rather than Iranian territory. This decision brief distills those discussions into a current assessment of proxy capabilities and trajectories two years on from October 7, 2023.

Publication Date

12-4-2025

Keywords

Axis of Resistance, Iran proxy network, Iran national security strategy, strategic fallout, Middle East security, regional instability, proxy warfare, deterrence, U.S.-Iran relations, asymmetric warfare

Recommended Citation

Mahmoudian, Arman, "GNSI Decision Brief: Summary Report on GNSI Research Initiative “Axis of Resistance”" (2025). GNSI Decision Briefs. 34.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/gnsi_decision_briefs/34

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5038/XIMJ7183