Armed Political Organizations: Hezbollah between Politics and Armed Resistance For Three Decades

4 ARMED POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS: HEZBOLLAH BETWEEN POLITICS AND ARMED RESISTANCE FOR THREE DECADES Abstract The thesis focuses on armed political organisations and analyses the case of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Armed political organisations are non-state actors that simultaneously present an armed wing and a political party for a variable duration. The transformation from armed groups into armed political organisations is addressed through the process of institutionalisation. The process begins with creating a political wing and participating in the electoral competition (phase of transition); it ends with the disarmament and the transformation from armed political groups into only political parties (phase of consolidation). The research focuses on Hezbollah and its capacity to maintain a dual nature inside and outside the institutions for three decades, from its first entry into the Lebanese parliament in 1992 until today. Hezbollah has refused to disarm, and according to the process of institutionalisation, it never accomplished the phase of consolidation. Notwithstanding this, it has been capable of maintaining solid its role within the institutions of Lebanon and increasing its relevance at the international level. Unlike Hamas, the refusal to withdraw arms has not prevented pursuing an institutional position. This work argues that the literature has scarcely addressed the factors that can favour the persistence of an armed political organisation. The co-existence of an armed wing and political party is often considered a temporary condition and not the outcome of the process. In the case of Hezbollah, it is assumed that the elements which allow the Lebanese actor to maintain its role as an armed political organisation for three decades are: (1) the capacity for ideological transformation, (2) the existence of a solid network within the Shi’i community and (3) the endemic dynamics of corruption within the institution of Lebanon. Additionally, this work retains that Hezbollah has acquired an increasing relevance at the regional and international levels by disorienting the international community with its ambiguous role inside and outside the institutions of Lebanon. In this regard, this work finally advances the possibility of the ineffectiveness of the terrorism approach on Hezbollah’s strategy. Key words: Hezbollah, armed political organisations, institutionalisation, Lebanon.