Hezbollah and the axis of refusal : Hamas, Iran and Syria
(2010) In Third World Quarterly 31(5). p.803-815- Abstract
Hezbollah has acquired a dual and contradictory reputation: as a legitimate political actor in Lebanon and as a terrorist organisation in the USA and Israel. This duality can be explained if we understand that Hezbollah is a nationalist entity that defines itself primarily within the Lebanese polity, as well as an anti-imperialist party intent on countering the regional hegemony of Israel and the USA. Forming alliances with Hamas, Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has become part of a 'rejectionist' axis that seeks to oppose perceived imperialism in the Middle East; this stance has become increasingly entrenched in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Characterisations that focus on Hezbollah as a military opponent confirm the... (More)
Hezbollah has acquired a dual and contradictory reputation: as a legitimate political actor in Lebanon and as a terrorist organisation in the USA and Israel. This duality can be explained if we understand that Hezbollah is a nationalist entity that defines itself primarily within the Lebanese polity, as well as an anti-imperialist party intent on countering the regional hegemony of Israel and the USA. Forming alliances with Hamas, Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has become part of a 'rejectionist' axis that seeks to oppose perceived imperialism in the Middle East; this stance has become increasingly entrenched in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Characterisations that focus on Hezbollah as a military opponent confirm the organisation's perceived need for a rejectionist stance. International acceptance of Hezbollah as a legitimate political actor within the Lebanese polity, on the other hand, would help to bring the basis of the rejectionist axis into question.
(Less)
- author
- El Husseini, Rola LU
- publishing date
- 2010-09-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Third World Quarterly
- volume
- 31
- issue
- 5
- pages
- 13 pages
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:77956256602
- ISSN
- 0143-6597
- DOI
- 10.1080/01436597.2010.502695
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- fbb8a637-b779-4b67-99e5-2921893277be
- date added to LUP
- 2019-10-08 23:42:34
- date last changed
- 2022-03-25 23:52:28
@article{fbb8a637-b779-4b67-99e5-2921893277be, abstract = {{<p>Hezbollah has acquired a dual and contradictory reputation: as a legitimate political actor in Lebanon and as a terrorist organisation in the USA and Israel. This duality can be explained if we understand that Hezbollah is a nationalist entity that defines itself primarily within the Lebanese polity, as well as an anti-imperialist party intent on countering the regional hegemony of Israel and the USA. Forming alliances with Hamas, Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has become part of a 'rejectionist' axis that seeks to oppose perceived imperialism in the Middle East; this stance has become increasingly entrenched in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Characterisations that focus on Hezbollah as a military opponent confirm the organisation's perceived need for a rejectionist stance. International acceptance of Hezbollah as a legitimate political actor within the Lebanese polity, on the other hand, would help to bring the basis of the rejectionist axis into question.</p>}}, author = {{El Husseini, Rola}}, issn = {{0143-6597}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{09}}, number = {{5}}, pages = {{803--815}}, publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}}, series = {{Third World Quarterly}}, title = {{Hezbollah and the axis of refusal : Hamas, Iran and Syria}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2010.502695}}, doi = {{10.1080/01436597.2010.502695}}, volume = {{31}}, year = {{2010}}, }