Hezbollah: A Short History

204 Pages·2014·2.22 MB·English

by  Augustus Richard Norton

Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics
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HEZBOLLAH
A Short History
With a new afterword by the author
Augustus Richard Norton
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON AND OXFORD
Copyright © 2007 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41
William Street,
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
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All Rights Reserved
First printing, 2007
Fifth printing, and first paperback printing, with a new afterword by the author, 2009
New paperback edition,
with a new prologue and afterword by the author, 2014
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-691-16081-8
Library of Congress Control Number 2013957455
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in
Goudy and Avant Garde Printed on acid-free paper. ∞
press.princeton.edu
Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Prologue to the New Paperback Edition vii
Prologue 1
Chapter 1
Origins and Prehistory of Hezbollah 9
The Rise of Shiʿi Politics from the Mid-twentieth Century to the 14
Lebanese Civil War
The Role of Musa al-Sadr 18
The Resurgence of Amal 21
Chapter 2
The Founding of Hezbollah 27
The Iraq Connection 30
The 1982 Israeli Invasion 32
Hezbollah Emerges 34
The Hezbollah Worldview 35
Implementing the Design 41
Chapter 3
Being a Shi`i Muslim in the Twenty-first Century 47
Ritual and Identity 51
The Intersection of Ritual and Politics 58
Chapter 4
Resistance, Terrorism, and Violence in Lebanon 69
Hezbollah and Terrorism 75
Occupation in Southern Lebanon 79
The “Rules of the Game” 83
The 2000 Israeli Withdrawal 88
Chapter 5
Playing Politics 95
Hezbollah’s Decision to Participate 98
Municipal Elections 103
The Revolt of the Hungry 105
The Rich Texture of Shi”i Institutions 107
Chapter 6
From Celebration to War 113
The Changing Social Tapestry in Post–Civil War Lebanon 120
Lebanon’s Love-Hate Relationship with Rafiq al-Hariri, and His 124
Assassination
Setting the Stage for War 132
The Start of Hostilities, July 2006 135
Prosecuting the War 137
145
Conclusion