Lebanon's Hizbollah Movement: The Party of God
Abstract
In the summer of 1982 in Lebanon, a group of radical Shi'a Muslim clerics in association with Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen formed the secretive and at times deadly movement known as Hizbollah, or the Party of God. The group quickly developed a worldwide reputation for carrying out spectacular bombings against western interests while still maintaining an enigmatic cloud around its existence. Over time, this veil of secrecy slowly slipped away and after the movement entered the 1992 Lebanese political arena, Hizbollah openly revealed its structure and organization to outsiders. This thesis endeavors to expound on the Party of God's creation, its development over the last decade and a half, its major acts of violence in Lebanon and abroad, and the group's evolution into a political party. By presenting this information, the author seeks to accomplish three objectives. The first is to present a multifaceted picture of this much maligned (at least from a Western perspective) movement to give the reader a more complete understanding of the Party of God. Second, by reviewing this information, determine whether or not Hizbollah will be able to continue as a political party if Israel withdraws from the south Lebanon security zone. And third, this thesis seeks to assess whether or not the Party of God continues to possess the ability to strike targets in the international arena. After addressing these three areas, the reader should have a much more complete understanding of the movement and its capabilities of attacking enemies outside its normal area of operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 19, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA370304
Entities
People
- Andrew D. Schad
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology