Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism

by Judith Palmer Harik

Since the assassination of Rafik Hariri in early 2005, Lebanese politics has been plunged into a new era. Will Syrian withdrawal send the country back into civil war? How will the seismic political shifts underway affect the stability of the region? At the center of the turmoil stands one player that will affect the outcome more than any other: Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, or the "Party of God", is one of the most powerful and the most misunderstood forces in Middle Eastern politics. In this new edition of her acclaimed book, Judith Harik explains what it actually believes in, what its real relationship with other regional players is, and in what direction it is heading.

Hezbollah arose amidst the chaos of the Lebanese civil war to resist the Israeli invasion of 1982. Based amongst the poor Shi'ite population, it takes its inspiration from the Iranian revolution and the teachings of Ayatollah Khomeini. Today Hezbollah's military wing controls the major fault-line of the Middle East: the Lebanese-Israeli border. To the US, Hezbollah represents one of the most dangerous terrorist networks in the world. In Lebanon, it is a democratically elected party within the Lebanese parliament, backed not just by Shi'ites, but by Christians and secular Muslims. To the wider Arab world, Hezbollah is a legend: the only Arab fighting force to have defeated Israel, forcing its withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000.

Harik draws on her considerable first-hand experience of the movement to tell the story of how a clandestine, radical militia transformed itself into a seemingly moderate and mainstream player in the Lebanese political arena. She looks at key questions: why do so many non-Shiites support them? Who controls the movement--the Mullahs, or the grassroots? Harik's penetrating analysis helps us make sense of fast-moving events as the future of Lebanon - and the region - hangs in the balance.

Genres: Lebanon, History, Middle East, Nonfiction, Terrorism

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2003

Reviews

[Michael Griswold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism offers a history of Hezbollah that is now outdated, so as with Hamas this should not be the only book you read, but it provides a good starting point for learning about the basic origins and mission of Hezbollah offering a look at the clanistic regional politics of Lebanon. As noted by a previous reviewer, one man's terrorist group is another's resistance movement. The Lebanese people have been trying to drive Israel from land that they feel belongs to them, but they hadn't had a capable force to do it until Hezbollah emerged dealing Israel two surprising defeats leading to partial pullouts. Beyond wins on the battlefield, Hezbollah conducted similar social service programs to Hamas and won hearts and minds by providing food, housing, jobs, education, etc. Israel and its' Western allies would consider Hezbollah a terrorist group because of their attacks on areas within Israel, but a large section of Lebanese people would consider them a legit resistance movement for resisting an unjust Israeli occupation. The lines between terrorism and resistance movement are often gray and blurry.

[Syed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed account of Hezbollah activities. It proves that, if the support of the people are available to any group, even the super powers can not do anything against them.

It shows the positive face and the intention of the leadership of Hezbollah to bring change in the society. Though the funding and political support provided by Iran and Syria respectively, if the willingness to get maximum use of these resources were not there, the movement would have ended up like others in past.

Good Read!!!!!