Hezbollah and terrorism: implications for Middle Eastern stability

Hezbollah

The Arab communities have for centuries been perceived with reticence by the Western civilizations, which saw them either as mystical, either as dangerous. The recent terrorist attacks have however shifted the balance towards a perception as danger relative to the Muslim communities. Aside the already notorious Al-Qaeda however, the presence and role of paramilitary organizations has significantly increased throughout the recent years at both national as well as international level. The aim of this paper is to present the concept and implications of terrorism, and to then move on to an assessment of another notorious paramilitary organization, the Hezbollah.

Terrorism

Concept

The researchers of the Middle East have become increasingly focused on the issues of terrorism throughout the past few decades, as the acts against the Western societies became more intense. The concept can however be traced back to the commencement of history, but it is often difficult to offer a definition. "Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactic and strategy; a crime and a holy duty; a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination" (Terrorism-Research). The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2006) for instance, an independent and objective source, defines terrorism as the "the use of violence such as bombing, shooting, or kidnapping to obtain political demands such as making a government do something." The editors at Terrorism-Research argue that the use of terrorist actions is often the weapon used by the weaker party in a conflict and it is time and again perceived as a corrective force by the terrorists. Additionally, since terrorists are seldom organized within a traditional structure, are secretive and form small groups, their opponents are unaware of the real threat as well as often incapable of properly protecting themselves against the threat of terrorism.

Implications

The implications of terrorism are numerous and present in various contexts, including national and international politics, economics and social stability. In terms of economic implications, analyses of countries with increased levels of terrorism have revealed numerous negative effects. For instance, private consumption is decreased, which means both reduce living standards for the population, but also lowered business gains and opportunities. Then, investors are least attracted and interested in these regions which manifest reduced opportunities for financial gains, meaning as such that national wealth is decreased. The countries' position within the international market is also reduced as its national products are among the least competitive or even as they find it difficult to be seen as trustworthy trade partners. Then, linked as well to politics and social safety, the national governments dispose of less money to invest in ensuring peace and stability, which also impacts the country's economic prosperity. Finally, international trade is significantly affected, as comparative studies have shown that two consecutive quarters of increased levels of terrorist activity will reduce the amount of exports in the gross domestic product by 1.5% (Persitz).

Aside the already mentioned effects, it is also necessary to point out that the national income in a terrorism-affected country is declining and even as peace is established, the GDP growth rates will be reduced. Then, employment rates increase, job stability decreases and inflation increases; national currencies suffer devaluations relative to other currencies, all to reveal growing levels of economic instability, political incapability to restore peace and social turmoil (Morag, 2006).

3. Hezbollah

Perceived Grievances

Like the goals of the Hezbollah organization (revealed in a following section), the grievances of the Lebanese paramilitary have evolved in time. In the incipient stages of formation, the Hezbollah members were dissatisfied with the fact that the Israeli were occupying the southern territory of their country. Then, as the conflict was won in their favor, the Hezbollah members developed a new sense that they were being persecuted -- the actual existence of the Israeli. It became a sense of true dissatisfaction that the Israeli were allowed to exist as a population and the Hezbollah promoted a system of belief that persecuted the Jewish. Aside the Israelis, the members of the paramilitary organization also manifested dissatisfactions relative to the ambitions of the western civilizations, namely the United States of America and France, which they saw as a threat to national culture and independence.

Ideologies

The ideology of the Lebanese paramilitary organization is based on the Shi'a tradition, more specifically on the concept of Willayat Al-Faqih, or supreme jurist leadership, giving as such birth to a new ideological concept, the Shi'i radicalism. The basis of this ideology was set by the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It basically strives to promote freedom of the Lebanese from both Israeli occupation, as well as the threat of the Western "imperialism." The most relevant excerpt in the ideology of Hezbollah is presented below:

The solution to Lebanon's problems is the establishment of an Islamic republic as only this type of regime can secure justice and equality for all of Lebanon's citizens.

The Hizballah organization views as an important goal the fight against 'western imperialism' and its eradication from Lebanon. The group strives for complete American and French withdrawal from Lebanon, including all their institutions.

The conflict with Israel is viewed as a central concern. This is not only limited to the IDF presence in Lebanon. Rather, the complete destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of Islamic rule over Jerusalem is an expressed goal (Military Advantage, 2009).

4. Conclusions

In the contemporaneous society of increasing threats of terrorism, the specialized literature has become more focused on addressing the issue of terrorist organizations. Despite the existence of terrorism since ancient times, a definition is difficult to offer. Yet, terrorism may be understood as the use of violence in order to pressure decision makers to rule in favor of the agenda promoted by the terrorist organization.

The paramilitary organization Hezbollah was founded with the special purpose of fighting the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. In time however, the aims of the group evolved, as did their ideology and grievances. What is interesting about the Hezbollah is that all of their grievances, ideologies and goals are based on the same three core elements -- freedom for Lebanon, demise of the Israelis and the lack of desire to submerge to the imperialistic desires of the Western civilizations.

References:

Morag, N., September 2006, The Economic and Social Effects of Intensive Terrorism: Israel, 2000-2004, The Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 10. No. 3

Persitz, D., The Economic Effects of Terrorism: Counterfactual Analysis of the Case of Israel, American Economic Association, Retrieved from http://www.aeaweb.org/annual_mtg_papers/2007/0106_1015_1802.pdf on June 22, 2009

2002, Who Are Hezbollah? BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1908671.stm last accessed on June 22, 2009

2009, Hezbollah, Military Advantage, http://www.military.com/Resources/ResourceFileView?file=Hezbollah-Organization.htm last accessed on June 22, 2009

What is Terrorism? Terrorism Research, http://www.terrorism-research.com / last accessed on June 22, 2009