Hezbollah's Passport: Religion, Culture, and the Lebanese Diaspora
Abstract
Hezbollah The Party of God - emerged in the chaos of the Lebanese Civil War as a fringe Shi'a militia organization and evolved into a global non-state actor that wields considerable political and military power. The party's activities during the war, including the attack against the United States Marine Corps barracks in 1983, established the organization as the pre-eminent terrorist organization in the region. Following the war, Hezbollah expanded their operations to Africa and South America, targeting Israeli and Western interests' taking its concept of Islamic Resistance worldwide. The 2006 War between Hezbollah and Israel demonstrated its conventional military capability, delaying and disrupting IDF advances and retaining enough of its own strength to declare victory after a month long series of engagements. The current fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria pits Hezbollah, allied with Iran, Syria, Iraqi Shi'a organizations and to an extent, the United States in a war to stabilize the region. The growth of Hezbollah, from a marginal branch of established Lebanese Shi'a political movements into the international power player, within 33 years is nothing short of remarkable. While the military aptitude and terrorist mystique of the party continue to capture the imagination of Western thinkers these characteristics are not the basis of Hezbollah's long-term success or strategy. The logic of the organization, derived from Islam and Lebanese culture, provide more insight into understanding Hezbollah than any examination of the tactics behind its terrorist or militant activities. By examining the religious and cultural aspects of its foundation, Hezbollah emerges as much more than a militia that grew a political wing once the fighting stopped.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1002558
Entities
People
- Michael E. Filanowski
Organizations
- School of Advanced Military Studies