Hezbollah's History, Ideology, Goals And Operational Capabilities
The recent wave of anti-American demonstrations in Egypt and the murder of an American ambassador and three embassy staff workers in Libya makes it clear that America's global war on terrorism has simply fueled the growth of numerous terrorist organizations, including Lebanon's Hezbollah. Nevertheless, representatives of Hezbollah argue that they are not a terrorist organization but rather a political party with legitimate goals, while critics cite numerous instances of the use of terrorist activities by the group. Therefore, in order to gain some fresh insights in this area, this paper provides n in-depth profile on the Lebanese organization, Hezbollah. An examination of the organization's origins, ideology, goals and objectives is followed by a discussion concerning Hezbollah's leadership, funding, and capabilities. Finally, a description of known and suspected weapons and lethal agents as well as their delivery methods, the types of procedures that have been…...

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References

El Rafei, R. (2006, October). "Hezbollah's Bounded Victory." The Progressive, 70(10), 30-32.

Lambeth, B.S. (2012, Summer). "Airpower and Strategy in Israel's 2006 War against

Hezbollah." Naval War College Review, 65(3): 82-84.

Norton, A.R. (2009). Hezbollah: A Short History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Hezbollah
Augustus ichard Norton's book Hezbollah: A Short History attempts to provide a balanced and nuanced view of the Shiite Islamic organization. Concerned primarily with the issue of self-rule and self-determination within Lebanon -- at least at the time of its founding -- Hezbollah has come to be labeled as a terrorist organization by many world governments, and Norton critically examines this identification and the events and perspectives that have led to this conclusion. Much of what Norton describes in the book is a simple matter of fact, but his interpretation and analysis of these facts is at times somewhat controversial. This paper will examine Hezbollah: A Short History through the lens of certain critical scholars that reviewed the wor, in order to determine the general consensus (or lack thereof) that exists in the academic community regarding Hezbollah's status.

Defining Terrorism

In order to understand Norton's argument that Hezbollah not be considered a…...

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References

Abisaab, R. Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Winter 2008): 101-02.

Alagha, J. "Review." Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 30, Issue 1 (Winter 2008): 61-70.

Alexander, K. Middle East Policy, Vol. 15, Issue 3 (Fall 2008): 152-55.

Gordon, J. Journal of Military History, Vol. 72, Issue 3 (July 2008): 984-85.

Hezbollah is a political organization involved in government affairs in Lebanon. Hezbollah may be militant and violent, but it is a far cry from Al Qaeda because it is part of the establishment in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Al Qaeda is very loosely organized and has splinter groups and radical cells in a number of places around the world. It is not known whether Al Qaeda or Hezbollah have access to MD, but because Hezbollah is closely associated with Iran and Syria, this group could gain access to MD. Al Qaeda has used suicide bombers in campaigns and has tried to bring down commercial airliners through creative bomb making, while Hezbollah has pretty much kept its focus on the political and military control it asserts in Lebanon (albeit Hezbollah has lobbed mortar shells into Israel inviting violent confrontations with the Jewish state).

The U.S. presently is using drone aircraft to take out key…...

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Works Cited

British Broadcasting Company (BBC). (2010). Who are Hezbollah? Retrieved July 6, 2012,

From  http://news.bbc.co.uk .

Katzman, Kenneth. (2005). Al Qaeda: Profile and Threat Assessment / CRS Report for Congress

Retrieved July 6, 2012, from the Congressional Research Service from The Library of Congress  http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL33038.pdf .

The basis of this ideology was set by the leader of the Islamic evolution, Ayatollah uhollah 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. ather, the complete destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of Islamic rule over Jerusalem is an…...

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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   on June 22, 2009http://www.aeaweb.org/annual_mtg_papers/2007/0106_1015_1802.pdf 

2002, Who Are Hezbollah? BBC News,  

"In the case of arms trafficking," they advise, "there are arms dealers eager to sell AK-47s to conflict zones all over the world. There are shipping and air transport services willing and able to transport the weapons to warlords who are destabilizing much of West Africa. The warlords trade diamonds for guns, and the arms brokers and transporters in turn launder the diamonds with brokers in Antwerp and deposit the money in Swiss banks" (Milward & aab, 2003, p. 413). Likewise, Warah (2004) reports that shortly following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., the Washington Post identified a disturbing aspect of the illegal diamond trade in West Africa that linked it directly with international terrorists. In their article published on 2 November 2001, war correspondent Douglas Farah reported that the Al Qaeda network had managed to "reap millions of dollars in the past…...

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References

Adebajo, A. (2002). Liberia's civil war: Nigeria, ecomog, and regional security in West Africa. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.

Auty, R.M. (1993). Sustaining development in mineral economies: The resource curse thesis. New York: Routledge.

Milward, H.B., & Raab, J. (2003). Dark networks as problems. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory,13(4), 413.

Neuman, W.L. (2003). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches, 5th ed. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Overall Threat Assessment
Literally “the party of God,” Hezbollah has transformed itself from a marginalized radical “clandestine militia” to a “mainstream political party,” (Harik 1). Hezbollah has cells on all inhabited continents, with a particularly sinister presence in Latin America (Byman; Noriega and Cárdenas). Before September 11, Hezbollah was responsible for “more American deaths than any other terrorist organization,” (Byman 54). Its global reach and history of attacks are not the only reason why Hezbollah presents the highest possible threat to the United States. Hezbollah has become a legitimate “state within a state,” funded not only by its native Lebanon but with “significant support from Iran and Syria,” (Masters and Laub 1). Hezbollah has also managed to legitimize itself, developing not only a “moderate” facade (Harik 1), but a political party with “extensive security apparatus, political organization, and social services network,” that appeals to a large number of Shia in Lebanon…...

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Bibliography

Byman, Daniel. “Should Hezbollah Be Next?” Foreign Affairs 82, No. 54 (2003): 54.

Harik, Judith Palmer. Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism. New York: I.B. Taurus, 2005.

Kalb, Marvin and Carol Saivetz. “The Israeli–Hezbollah War of 2006.” Press/Politics 12, No. 3 (2007): 43-66.

Masters, Jonathan and Zachary Laub. “Hezbollah.” Council on Foreign Relations. Jan 3, 2014. Retrieved online:

Noriega, Roger F. and José Cárdenas. “The Mounting Hezbollah Threat in Latin America.” American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, No. 3, October 2011. Retrieved online: http://tonyrivera.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/The-Mounting-Hezbollah-Threat-in-Latin-America.pdf

Norton, Augustus Richard. Hezbollah: A Short History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007.

“Profile: Lebanon\\'s Hezbollah movement.” BBC. March 15, 2016. Retrieved online: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-10814698

Stewart, Scott. “Hezbollah, Radical but Rational.” Security Weekly. Retrieved online: http://www.texasbordervolunteers.org/userfiles/Hezbollah,%20Radical%20but%20Rational.pdfhttps://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/hezbollah

Hamas and Hezbollah and the Hybrid Terrorist Organization ModelIntroductionUnderstanding the development processes of terrorist organizations, their modus operandi, target audiences, and organizational policies is important when it comes to global terrorism for several reasons (Crenshaw, 1995). It helps policymakers and security agencies to anticipate and disrupt the formation of new groups, as well as to develop strategies to counter existing organizations. It can also help researchers identify and address the underlying grievances and social conditions that led to its development (Hudson, 1999). It can help agencies and organizations identify potential threats and prioritize counter-terrorism efforts, and develop more effective counter-messaging strategies to undermine the appeal of extremist ideologies. It can also lead to countries cooperating more effectively in efforts to combat terrorism. This paper examines two hybrid terrorist organizationsHamas and Hezbollahand analyzes them from the hybrid terrorist organization model standpoint to advance this same level of understanding.The Hybrid Terrorist Organization…...

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References

Azani, E. (2011). Hezbollah: the story of the party of God: from revolution to institutionalization. Springer.

Azani, E. (2012). Hezbollah\\\\\\'s Strategy Of “Walking On The Edge”: Between Political Game And Political Violence. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 35(11), 741-759.

Azani, E. (2013). The hybrid terrorist organization: Hezbollah as a case study. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 36(11), 899-916.

ed Cell Analysis -- Hezbollah
Its supporters claim that it is just a political party with legitimate goals, while critics charge that Hezbollah is first and foremost a terrorist organization with the stated goal of eliminating Israel and establishing a Palestinian homeland in its place. This paper provides a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature together with governmental resources to determine which data collection programs would be best utilized in response to this threat, which members of the intelligence community would be the best collectors of intelligence on Hezbollah, and what intelligence analysis strategies would be the most effective and why. A discussion of these issues is followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

eview and Analysis

Data-collection alternatives

Data-collection alternatives for tracking Hezbollah activities are important given the group's stated anti-American agenda. Established in 1982, Hezbollah ("The Party of God") has been a participant in…...

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References

Aftergood, S. (2005, March 18). "Hezbollah: Party of God." Federation of American Scientists.

.

"Chapter 8: Analysis of Competing Hypotheses." (1999). Central Intelligence Agency: Center

for the Study of Intelligence.

Political chiefs (zucama) from a few powerful families dominated Shici politics into the 1960s and continued their control through extensive support networks. The authority of the zucama varied on their clients' support, but by the 1960s hundreds of young Shici men and women became estranged from old-style politics and were attracted by new political forces. The vision of radical change could only have been appealing to a community whose culture emphasized its exploitation and dispossession by the ruling elites. In Lebanon, as in Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, Shica in great numbers were recruited in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s to secular opposition parties. In Lebanon the resistance took the shape of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), (Cooper & Erlanger, 2011) the Organization for Communist Labor Action, and pro-Syrian and pro-Iraqi factions of the Arab Socialist Bacth (or "Resurrection") Party. Predominantly in the…...

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Works Cited

Group Capt. Neville Parton, Royal Air Force, "Israel's 2006 Campaign in the Lebanon: A Failure of Air Power or a Failure of Doctrine?," Royal Air Force Air Power Review (Summer 2007), p. 81.

Roger Cohen, "Price of Disengagement: Beirut and Gaza Burn," International Herald Tribune, 15 July 2006; "The Crisis Widens," Economist, 15 July 2013, p. 45.

Ken Ellingwood, "Hezbollah Wields Improved Arsenal," Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2006.

Mark Mazetti and Thom Shanker, "Arming of Hezbollah Reveals U.S. And Israeli Blind Spots," New York Times, 2012.

'
It is well-known that Syria provides Hezbollah with war materials, rockets, money, and more, and hence, Israel sees Syria as an enemy in cahoots with Hezbollah.

FIVE: CONCLUSION: The present battle may be on hold between Israel and Hezbollah, but the war is far from over. Years of hatred and loathing between Jews and Arabs in this part of the world will not end with a UN ceasefire. ho is to blame? Both sides certainly share responsibility for the killing, and it remains to be seen if any third party or international organization can step in and bring the warring parties to the peace table. There are observers who believe that Israel made a big mistake by going so far into Lebanese territory, and that Hezbollah was tactically wrong in launching rockets into civilian areas of Israel. Those criticisms having been made, it remains true that in a Middle East environment…...

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Works Cited

Blanche, Ed. "Mission Impossible?" Middle East, Issue 371 (2006), retrieved 26 Oct. from Academic Search Premier.

Curtiss, Richard H. "In Sixth Arab-Israeli war, Hezbollah Survives, Israel Loses, Bush Missing

In Action." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 25.8 (2006): 12-13.

Marshall, Rachelle. "A Fragile Truce in Lebanon, but No Peace if Hard-Liners Have Their

criminal justice and terrorism. Specifically it will discuss whether Hezbollah is a terrorist organization or merely acting in self-defense. Hezbollah is a Lebanese organization made up of Shi'a Muslims that participates in political and social issues throughout Lebanon. The group formed after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and it began as a resistance organization. The original mission of the organization was to gain an Islamic regime throughout Lebanon and to do away with the colonial expansion of Israel. They have repeatedly stated they would like to do away with the Zionist (Israel) state, as well, and that makes them a terrorist organization.
Hezbollah has grown from an entirely military organization to one with incredible power and funding. The group owns television stations, holds seats in the Lebanese government, and funds many social activities, such as schools and hospitals for the Lebanese people. However, they were formed as a militant…...

President Obama's remarkable ability to combine his liberal inclinations on humanitarian issues with expertly wielded applications of America's economic and military superiority was presaged in an article published by Harvard Magazine before ballots had been cast in the 2008 election. When professor of international relations Joseph S. Nye Jr. boldly declared that "the old distinction between realists and liberals needs to give way to a new synthesis that you might choose to call 'liberal realism'"4, (2008, pg. 36), he
3 Douthat, oss. "Obama the ealist." The New York Times, February 07, 2011.

4 Nye, Joseph S. "Toward a Liberal ealist Foreign Policy: A memo for the next president." Harvard Magazine 110 (2008): 36-38.

provided a startlingly accurate prediction of President Obama's methodically effective strategy of relying on liberalist motivations to enact firmly realist foreign policy directives in relation to Iran.

Other commentaries on American public opinion towards Iran have focused on the shifting…...

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References

Cohen, Warren I. "The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat' by Vali Nasr." The Washington Post, May 03, 2012.   policy-in-retreat-by-vali-nasr/2013/05/03/b7b01178-ac14-11e2-a198- 99893f10d6dd_story.html (Accessed May 4, 2013).http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-dispensable-nation-american-foreign -

Douthat, Ross. "Obama the Realist." The New York Times, February 07, 2011.   (Accessed May 5, 2013).http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/opinion/07douthat.html?_r=0 

Esfandiary, Dina. "Why Iranian Public Opinion Is Turning Against the Nuclear Program." The Atlantic, March 16, 2012.   iranian-public-opinion-is-turning-against-the-nuclear-program/254627 / (Accessed May 5, 2013).http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/why -

Nye, Joseph S. "Toward a Liberal Realist Foreign Policy: A memo for the next president." Harvard Magazine 110 (2008): 36-38. pdfs/0308-36.pdf (Accessed May 4, 2013).http://harvardmag.com/pdf/2008/03-

In the event the intelligence detailed by the Israeli administration proves to be accurate with respect to nuclear weapons development, this office is reminded of the words of the late President John, F. Kennedy, spoken almost exactly 45 years ago to the day, on October 22, 1962, addressing the Soviet threat in Cuba:
We no longer live in a world where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nation's security to constitute maximum peril. Nuclear weapons are so destructive and ballistic missiles are so swift that any substantially increased possibility of their use or any sudden change in their deployment may well be regarded as a definite threat to peace." (Sorensen, 1965)

Extraordinary risks to national security demand (and justify) extraordinary actions to prevent them from materializing. A military response will be required to participate with Israel in destroying Iranian nuclear facilities either in possession of…...

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References

Allison, G. (2004) Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe.

Henry Holt: New York

Dershowitz, a. (2002) Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat,

Responding to the Challenge. Yale University Press: New Haven

' Indians across the political spectrum, especially the country's powerful nuclear weapons establishment, are critical of the NPT, arguing that it unfairly warps international hierarchies to the disadvantage of the non-nuclear-weapon states" (1998:15). In its efforts to balance the pressures from the international community with its own self-interests in formulating foreign policies, the position adopted by India has been starkly different than other countries. In this regard, Karp concludes that, "Most states party to the NPT accept the unfairness of the treaty as a tradeoff that serves their own and global interests. India's leaders insist that fair and genuine nuclear disarmament must start with the nuclear-weapon states themselves, a demand formalized by former Prime Minister ajiv Gandhi in his 1990 global nuclear disarmament initiative" (Karp 1998:14).
As a result of these events, the 20th century witnessed the formation of various positions in Indian foreign policy that would endure throughout the Cold…...

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References

Berlin, D.L. 2006 "India in the Indian Ocean." Naval War College Review 59(2): 58-59.

Chollett, D. & Lindberg, T. 2007 "A Moral Core for U.S. Foreign Policy." Policy Review 146: 3-

4.

Davis, C.B. & Rill, L.A. 2008 "Testing the Second Level of Agenda Setting: Effects of News

Terrorism
Chapter 10 of Jonathan . White's Terrorism and Homeland Security focuses exclusively on terrorism in Israel and Palestine. However, the author begins the chapter with the Six Day War to immediately discuss the rise of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Factionalism in Palestinian terrorism, the rise and function of Hezbollah and Hamas, Jewish fundamentalism, and the controversial counterterrorism policies in Israeli domestic and foreign policy comprise the bulk of this chapter. Especially given the paucity of space dedicated to this complex topic, White does a good job addressing both sides of the conflict and does so fairly, accurately, and with a minimum of bias.

eaction

One of the only faults with Chapter 10 is that the author does not have enough space with which to properly engage the reader in the multilayered complexity of the issue. The chapter begins as if in media res, with the 1967 war as opposed with the…...

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References

Barhoum, K. (n.d.). The origin and history of the PLO. Trans-Arab Research Institute. 17 May, 2014. Retrieved online:  http://tari.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10:the-origin-and-history-of-the-plo&catid=1:fact-sheets&Itemid=10 

"Hezbollah: History and Overview." Retrieved online:  http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/hizbollah.html 

White, J.R. (2012). Terrorism and Homeland Security. Wadsworth Cengage.