Hezbollah: A Short History
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"Hezbollah is a timely and landmark work. Richard Norton draws on his extensive expertise to offer a comprehensive history that will be of interest to anyone who seeks a better understanding of Hezbollah, Lebanon, or current developments in the Middle East."--Lee Hamilton, Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission and Co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group"One of the most remarkable developments in the Middle East in recent years is Hezbollah's meteoric rise to power. No one can better explain the broad implications of this phenomenon than Richard Norton. Drawing on his vast knowledge of Lebanon, Norton has written a timely and readable primer that lucidly explains the intricacies of Hezbollah's ideology and history and demystifies its political strategy."--Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future"Norton is uniquely positioned to provide an analysis of Hezbollah, one that is historical, nuanced, and informed by more than twenty-five years of experience as a researcher and policy advisor on Lebanon. He is one of the foremost American experts on Hezbollah and Shi'i politics in Lebanon. In addition, Norton's writing is always clear and accessible. This concise and accurate primer will be invaluable to general readers, reporters, and scholars."--Lara Deeb, author of An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon"I recommend this book with greatest enthusiasm. Norton is one of the premier--if not the premier--American authorities on Shi'i politics in Lebanon. Add to this the fact that he is a talented writer who can communicate complex ideas in a fluent, engaging, and accessible fashion. Telling quotes and anecdotes enliven the book and ground it. Norton is the rare academic whose expertise doesn't prevent him from communicating well with a general reader."--Eva Bellin, Hunter College, City University of New York The Washington Post - Jonathan Finer Twenty-five years ago, Hezbollah was a ragtag religious militia, founded under the thumb of Israel's long occupation of southern Lebanon and struggling against stronger rival groups for the hearts and minds of Lebanon's Shiite underclass. Today, Hezbollah is a political party, a social-service organization and a military power that emerged from a hard-fought standoff with the Israeli army last summer as the dominant player in Lebanon's politics and perhaps the most formidable nonstate actor in the Middle East. Augustus Richard Norton's timely Hezbollah chronicles that dramatic evolution and its sweeping implications for the region and beyond. His lucid primer is the first serious reappraisal of the radical Shiite group since last summer's war shattered six years of relative calm on one of the world's most volatile frontiers.
Prologue 1Origins and Prehistory of Hezbollah 9The Rise of Shi'i Politics from the Mid-twentieth Century to the Lebanese Civil War 14The Role of Musa al-Sadr 18The Resurgence of Amal 21The Founding of Hezbollah 27The Iraq Connection 30The 1982 Israeli Invasion 32Hezbollah Emerges 34The Hezbollah Worldview 35Implementing the Design 41Being a Shi'a Muslim in the Twentieth Century 47Ritual and Identity 51The Intersection of Ritual and Politics 58Resistance, Terrorism, and Violence in Lebanon 69Hezbollah and Terrorism 75Occupation in Southern Lebanon 79The "Rules of the Game" 83The 2000 Israeli Withdrawal 88Playing Politics 95Hezbollah's Decision to Participate 98Municipal Elections 103The Revolt of the Hungry 105The Rich Texture of Shi'i Institutions 107From Celebration to War 113The Changing Social Tapestry in Post-Civil War Lebanon 120Lebanon'sLove-Hate Relationship with Rafiq Hariri, and His Assassins 124Setting the Stage for War 132The Start of Hostilities, July 2006 135Prosecuting the War 137Conclusion 145Hezbollah in a Fractured Postwar Lebanon 152What Next? 157Glossary 161Additional Reading 163Sources Cited 169Index 173Acknowledgments 185
