Introduction
While terrorism has been practiced by various groups and individuals throughout human history, the events of 11th September 2001 brought home the painful reality to Americans of the capability of terrorist attacks to disrupt society’s life. While terrorism was condemned before the 911 events, the 9/11 attacks resulted in terrorism being labeled as the most perilous global problem that hampers the safety and freedom of humanity. Undercutting the power of terrorist organizations and groups therefore became one of the major goals of nations in their bid to achieve security for their people. The key to containing terrorist groups is developing a deeper understanding of the particular terrorism movement; its organizational structures, ideologies, political affiliations, and how the organization obtains and maintains recruits. This paper shall set out to give a deeper understanding of one of the contemporary terrorist groups; Hezbollah. The paper shall perform a critical analysis of this active terrorist movement by reviewing the group’s ideologies, economic factors, and political significance. The paper shall also explain what draws new individuals into the group and provide some suggestions on how the recruitment efforts of the group can be curtailed.
Hezbollah Terrorist Organization
There is no universally accepted definition of “terrorism” and each nation or organization prefers to use its definition. This lack of unified description springs from the fact that what may pass as “terrorism” for one party may be a legitimate use of violence by another. Nevertheless, the US Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of – or threatened use of – force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives” (Hoffman, 2006, p.38). The political angle sets apart terrorism from other kinds of crimes, and as Hoffman (2006) insists, one should distinguish terrorists from other types of criminals since most terrorist organizations have a deeper ideology and higher motives than common criminals or irregular fighters. Hezbollah is therefore rightfully classified as a terrorist organization due to its use of violence in an attempt to gain political leverage as well as champion the cause of the Lebanese Shia population.
The Hezbollah organization began in the 1980s as a resistance organization whose aim was to fight for the rights of the Shiite population in who felt discriminated against by the Christian minorities who had an overrepresentation in the government. However, the group’s affiliation with violent extremist organizations and its incessant attacks on Israeli and Western targets in Lebanon quickly elevated the group to a terrorist organization status. While the UN General Assembly has denounced terrorism as endangering and taking innocent human lives and jeopardizing fundamental freedoms, most terrorism organizations including Hezbollah do not view themselves as anti-democratic movements that endangered the lives of people but instead, the movements purported to safeguard their people from some oppression. The reason why this organization chooses to engage in political terrorism is that the group believed that its pleas could only be heard if they engage in acts of violence. This notion is supported by an article by the NCWC (2004), which states that one of the main objectives of terrorism is to gain publicity for some cause and violent acts result in media attention and subsequent attention being given to the terrorists and their demands.
Group Ideologies
The Hezbollah movement’s ideologies are mostly borrowed from the Iranian revolution and the teachings of Ayatollah Khomeini. This organization has its ideologies deeply grounded in religious thoughts, as is evident from the central position that clerics are given in the group’s leadership structure. One of the things that Hezbollah is particularly notorious for is indoctrinating its members with Islamic extremist ideologies that reinforce the member’s beliefs to fight the enemies of Islam, in this case, Israel and the US. The Israeli occupation of Palestine and the deployment of U.S. troops to Islamic states only serve to validate the claims made by the organization therefore making it more potent. Hezbollah also propagates the concept of martyrdom in the battle against the perceived infidels. This martyrdom calls for individual sacrifice for the accomplishment of the organization’s greater good. Hamzeh (2004) best sums up the organization’s ideologies by quoting Nasrallah, who asserts that “Hizbullah is a group seeking the heavenly world, martyrdom, and death”.
Political and Socio-Economic
Hezbollah is a complex political and military outfit whose activities include guerilla warfare and the provision of humanitarian aid to the needy in Lebanon. The organization is both an armed force whose membership is made up of devote Lebanese who believe in Islam and armed resistance as well as a prominent political party in Lebanon. The humanitarian aspects of the group are undoubtedly aimed at increasing the group’s influence and popularity with the population in Lebanon. The group has a significant following with the Lebanese populace, especially the Shiites and the poorer society members. Economically, Hezbollah is hugely dependent on its Arabic financial backers, with the chief financier being Iran which is believed to offer funds over $100 million annually for Hezbollah operations. These funds combined with other funds obtained by sympathizers are used for political, social, and military purposes. In addition to this, the group also raises money from drugs and conflict diamonds in Africa to support its operations. In the American continent, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups have been reported to traffic narcotics in for funds.
Reasons why people are drawn to the Organization
To most of the people in Lebanon, Hezbollah is deemed as a guardian fighting for the rights of the people. Hezbollah is therefore one of the terrorist organizations to which the quoted saying “one person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter” applies (Laqueur, 2007). While some western nations such as the US view Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization, the organization, through its social wing has contributed to the development of Lebanon by building hospitals, schools, and other social amenities. This has resulted in the organization being viewed in a positive light by many people in Lebanon. As such, being a member of Hezbollah is a matter of prestige for the individual as the community approves of the organization and the role it plays in the country.
Gunaratna (2007) reveals that “an individual’s personal history and worldview may make him or her more or less susceptible to a particular terrorist or extremist ideology.” It is a notion that is exploited by Hezbollah, which has styled itself as the “defender of the people against foreign invaders and humanitarian aid provider to the poor.” Lebanon has a history of being occupied by foreigners most notable of which are the Israeli. In addition to this, the Shia population whose cause the Hezbollah purports to fight for has a history of being underrepresented in the legislative and military apparatus, which resulted in widespread dissatisfaction. Both these factors not only validate the existence of Hezbollah, but they result in local as well as international support for the group.
Undercutting Hezbollah’s Recruitment
Hezbollah gains its recruits through religious indoctrination as well as through its humanitarian efforts. To undercut the organization’s recruitment, both of these issues must be dealt with. By misinterpreting the Islamic belief system, Hezbollah has been able to not only advocate for but also justify acts of violence against the Israeli and Western targets that are labeled infidels. Efforts to reverse this radicalization should therefore be made and the international Islamic community should be encouraged to ensure that their religion is not manipulated by terrorist organizations. The US can also engage in development projects, which will result in lower unemployment levels as well as mitigate poverty. As such, people and especially the youth will not turn to Hezbollah as a means of making a living.
References
Clarke, R. & Knake, R. (2008). Counter-Terrorism Issues for the Next President. CTC Sentinel, Vol 1. Issue 3.
Horowitz, M. (2008). The History and Future of Suicide Terrorism. Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Gunaratna, R. (2007). Strategic Counter-Terrorism: Getting Ahead of Terrorism Part II: The Ideological Response. JCCTS, VOl.2, No.2.
Hamzeh, A. N. (2004). In the Path of Hizbullah. Syracuse University Press.
Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism. 2nd edn. Colombia University Press.
Laqueur, W. (2007). Terrorism: A Brief History, Countering the Terrorist Mentality. Ejournal USA.
NCWC (2004). The Criminology of Terrorism: History, Law, Definitions, Typologies. Web.