MIDDLE EAST TODAY The Changing Ideology of Hezbollah Massaab Al-Aloosy Middle East Today Series Editors Fawaz A. Gerges Department of International Relations London School of Economics London, UK Nader Hashemi Center for Middle East Studies Josef Korbel School of International Studies University of Denver Denver, CO, USA The Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the US invasion and occupation of Iraq have dramatically altered the ­geopolitical landscape of the contemporary Middle East. The Arab Spring uprisings have complicated this picture. This series puts forward a critical body of first-rate scholarship that reflects the current political and social realities of the region, focusing on original research about contentious politics and social movements; political institutions; the role played by non-­governmental organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood; and the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Other themes of interest include Iran and Turkey as emerging pre-eminent powers in the region, the former an ‘Islamic Republic’ and the latter an emerging democracy currently governed by a party with Islamic roots; the Gulf monarchies, their petrol economies and regional ambitions; potential problems of nuclear proliferation in the region; and the challenges ­confronting the United States, Europe, and the United Nations in the greater Middle East. The focus of the series is on general topics such as social turmoil, war and revolution, international relations, occupation, radicalism, democracy, human rights, and Islam as a political force in the context of the modern Middle East. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14803 Massaab Al-Aloosy The Changing Ideology of Hezbollah Massaab Al-Aloosy The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Doha, Qatar Middle East Today ISBN 978-3-030-34846-5 ISBN 978-3-030-34847-2 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34847-2 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland For the lost generations who chased daydreams while beholding a mirage. PREFACE Few men from a humiliated sect in a country engulfed in a civil war created a group that changed the face of the Middle East. Hezbollah—the Party of God—is a child of the region as a whole, from social factors encompassing Lebanon and Iran, events rooted in Islamic history, to the fragility of the modern state. The founding fathers of Hezbollah constituted a road map based on its core ideology of creating an Islamic state in Lebanon, destroying Israel, and liberating Jerusalem. As time passed by and context changed, however, the diminishing ideological fervor began to be replaced with dos- ages of rationalism and reality. For a band of armed men to destroy one of the mightiest countries in their midst seemed possible as emotions elevated, but put into practice it proved impossible. Similarly, creating an Islamic theocracy resembling the political system in Iran appeared within reach, but in reality it was far away from the group’s grasp. The Lebanese social mosaic thwarted the aspiration of Hezbollah; if the Shia, to whom they belonged, were not unanimous regarding an Islamic theocracy, how could other sects and reli- gions be convinced—or even compelled—to forming an Islamic state? While the military success ensured survival, context prevented the realization of ideology. In other words, after decades of fighting the Israeli enemy Hezbollah was not inching towards realizing its original objectives. And instead of pointing its guns at its fellow citizens to enforce a political system it sees fit, Hezbollah became the first insurgency that assists a patron regime to survive. Hence this book which traces the journey of the changing ideology of Hezbollah from an ideological goliath to a pragmatic hybrid armed group. Doha, Qatar Massaab Al-Aloosy vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book would not have seen the light of day without the consistent and continuous assistance and support of one man: Dr. Ibrahim Fraihat. To him I am eternally indebted, and I am honored to call him my professor. I would also like to thank Professor Richard Shultz from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Professor Shultz guided me many times through troubled waters and helped me transform from a mere passionate reader to a qualified researcher. I owe my gratitude also to Professor Robert Pfaltzgraff, who gave me many valuable pieces of advice for my dissertation. Finally, many thanks to my wife, Aida Avahdati, for her unswerving support and understanding; her light conquers my darkness. ix CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 From the Outskirt to the Core: How the Shia Transformed Within the Lebanese Society 21 3 Insurgency and the Transformation of Ideology: Changes in Hezbollah’s Thoughts and Practices 67 4 Obliteration and Liberation Change to Deterrence: Hezbollah’s Ideological Transformation Toward Israel and the Palestine Cause 103 5 From a Patron to Patronage: Hezbollah’s Support for the Syrian Regime in the Civil War 141 6 Conclusion 175 Index 187 xi CHAPTER 1 Introduction Born while the civil war devastated the Lebanese household to the black sheep Shia, Hezbollah is the inheritor of ignominious and discriminatory centuries. Its soldiers struggled for controversial justice under the banner of a zealous Islamist ideology, growing out of the Iranian Revolution’s womb. But over time, ideological determination gave way to imposed pragmatism. From the year Hezbollah was formally created in 1985, it embarked on several goals; however, the main aims of Hezbollah were ultimately revised. Hezbollah’s initial ideology was based on the destruc- tion of Israel, greater influence in the Lebanese political system, and estab- lishing an Islamic theocracy in Lebanon. Although Hezbollah—also transliterated Hizbollah, Hizballah, and other variations—has evolved sig- nificantly throughout the decades, the group continues to regard Israel as their main enemy, and its loyalty to the concept of the rule of the jurispru- dent (velayat-e faqih) remained at the core of its ideology but not without ideological changes. Theoretically speaking, the research will address a gap in the literature through explaining an insurgency’s change of ideology over time, and a different dynamic between a patron state and an insurgency through ana- lyzing four periods of Hezbollah’s history. The traditional perception of ideology has a static status quo, and the norm has been a varied support by patron states to insurgencies, but in this instance, the roles are reversed. This research will explain the changing role of insurgency’s ide- ology, and explain why an insurgency would support the patron state in © The Author(s) 2020 1 M. Al-Aloosy, The Changing Ideology of Hezbollah, Middle East Today, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34847-2_1 2 M. AL-ALOOSY a civil war. A different understanding as to the significance of ideology for insurgencies will be presented, helping in constructing policy prescrip- tions that could be applied in the Middle East and other parts of the world. EARLY IDeOLOGY Every insurgency is motivated by an ideology, which serves multiple func- tions. Foremost among these functions is constructing an enemy. My research explores two questions: Are insurgency ideologies static? Are their ideologies affected if another, more threatening enemy arises? The conventional wisdom is that ideologies are fixed but ideologies evolve and are heavily influenced by context. An insurgency will alter its ideology for another cause to provide justification and mobilize its population in sup- port of the other cause. Amending an ideology is vital when the survival of an insurgency is challenged. Hezbollah’s rationale for fighting Israel is rooted in nationalistic and Islamist ideology, including liberating Lebanese land occupied by Israel during the 1982 Lebanon war, creating an Islamic theocracy in Lebanon, and liberating Jerusalem from the Israelis. Even though the leaders of Hezbollah have regularly announced that their rai- son d’être is to fight Israel, they have focused most of their energy toward that endeavor; the revolutionary changes in the Middle East over the past three decades threatened Hezbollah’s existence and forced it to recali- brate. Hezbollah was compelled to intervene, as the fall of al-Assad regime was imminent before any ideological justifications. Al-Assad’s Syria is not only a staunch ally of Hezbollah; his country also serves as a conduit for Iranian support. Furthermore, Lebanon was tacitly recognized as a Syrian sphere of influence after the Taif agreement in 1989, adding to an already-­ accumulated influence.