Cadet Tumanguil, ND

Sec I ‘H’ Co

The Uproar within a System

Every victory follows a celebration. This is how Hezbollah has been livelier in
the past generations up to this time. It all started during the fifteen long years of the
Lebanese Civil War, which caused the birth of a political and militant group in 1982.
Driven by the urge to destroy Israel, including the West, the organization received
support in finance and the military, specifically from Iran and Syria. Since Hezbollah
belongs to the Lebanese Shia, it also received support from Islamic Groups in
different parts of the world. The group is known as a terrorist group and eventually
transformed into a strong military force led by its Secretary General, Hassan
Nasrallah. With the foundation of Hezbollah starting from the past up until now, will it
go further to the end of its means, given that opposition still arises in the present
time? The history and the latter show the inherent qualities of how the decline of a
group or an organization has existed within Hezbollah’s system. This paper will
further discuss the questions bourn from the birth and possible end of the group in
the future time.

In 1992, Hezbollah entered Lebanese politics with the creation of an executive

council under Nasrallah’s leadership, winning eight seats in Parliament. The shift
from the desire to eliminate Israel and the West to infiltrate the political system of
Lebanon showed its motive to grow and expand its influence from all over the world.
This has caused the group to aid conflicts through assassination and attacks.

The evident changes from the driven desire to eliminate Israel and the West
to the participation in politics showed that Hezbollah plans to take over the world.
The growing popularity developed a reputation in Lebanon since the group has been
successful throughout its history. Backed up by an ideology of three fundamental
visions, such as the establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon, the pursuit of
jihad, including the greater jihad, and the submission to wilayat al-faqih by Khomeini
known as an Islamic state’s model of governance. From these fundamental visions
born its core beliefs which in turn support the notion of its tactics in pursuit of the
strategic goal.
Capabilities can also result in weaknesses, and so does Hezbollah’s strength
can lead to its destruction. However, in terms of armed strength, Hezbollah and
Lebanon’s Army are incomparable. Its capabilities are composed of a great number
of trained fighters, and it continually grows with the support of an external funder and
trainer. More assets include their weapons of mass destruction and their strength in
terms of tactics which is also part of the recruitment process. The strong desire to
win the fight is backed up by the doctrines and teachings that these men hold on to.
However, its capabilities are still incomparable with most states in the world since
there are lacking of equipment such as aircraft and such. This shows the lack of
technological advancement in the organization, which is also the same as the idea of
a terrorist group.
Hezbollah has a seven-member council, or the majlis al-shura, with different
functions such as in terms of finance, judiciary, social, political, and military matters.
It survived through funds coming from its main external supporter, Iran, through
Nasrallah’s confirmation in 2016. However, it did not start there in recent years; the
oil business took its downturn in 2014 because of inflation. Legitimate or illegitimate
ways to search and acquire funds have been their deal since then, especially from
individuals related to them. On the other hand, Hezbollah increased its members and
believers through a long and difficult recruitment process that lasted for months
focusing on the Shiite Community in Lebanon. Different phases include the
teachings based on their doctrines, ideologies, and core beliefs, and basic military
training with standards almost the same as military academies.
There are thousands of ways to die, and so as with how Hezbollah can be
destroyed. One of these is cutting ties with Iran, yet it is a long and hard process to
achieve victory since there are a lot of factors that will be affected, such as the
agreement between the US and Iran. As discussed in the previous paragraph, its
popularity is measured by its works which reached its peak in 2006; however, in
recent years, its image has been blemished mostly by Sunni Islam. Another fact is
that Hezbollah’s focus on the political and commercial society of Lebanon is being
attacked by the anti-Hezbollah financing legislation. If it is strongly enforced, there
will be a high risk of maintaining relationships with the overseas provider, and this
might lead to bankruptcy. Also, the delivery of weapons has been strongly imposed
by patrols to prevent weapon smuggling. The increasing number of members of the
group is linked with recruitment, and since most of them came from poor families,
receiving incentives or a small amount of money is enough for their survival. Hence,
going back to the first idea of cutting ties with Iran can stop the recruitment process
and end the whole organization leaving them nothing to survive on its own.
Shifting one’s focus onto something needs big adjustments to reach success.
Hezbollah has faced numerous challenges, and the fact that time has changed its
perspective and goals posed a threat to maintaining its post in the latter years of its
existence. Gaining power caused corruption to enter its system, which then brought
blemishes to its reputation. Problems in finance cannot support its goals causing fear
of losing its position, yet in time, it will be inevitable for this group to end. Losing the
strong foundation they had built started doubts from the core and the public’s interest
in continuing its existence. This only shows that no matter how strong it is in the
beginning, losing one’s direction or purpose along the way with even one mistake will
bring you to a different path of the unknown. Hence, indecisiveness brings chaos,
and if not fixed in due time, then comes destruction.

References:

Blanford, N. (2017). Hezbollah’s Evolution from Lebanese Militia to Regional Player.

Middle East Institute.
https://www.mei.edu/sites/default/files/publications/PP4_Blanford_Hezbollah.pdf

Bloom, C. (2008). “The Classification of Hezbollah in Both International and Non-

International Armed Conflicts,” Annua Survey of International & Comparative Law:
Volume 14: Iss. 1, Article 5.
http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/annlsurvey/vol14/iss1/5