Strana Boha: Transformácia Libanonského Hizbaláhu
The Party of God: Transformation of Lebanese Hizballah

Summary/Abstract: At the beginning of the 80s Hizballah emerged as a small rag-tag militia, spurred into existence by Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon; nowadays it constitutes one of the key players not just in Lebanon, but perhaps the most influential non-state actor in the Middle East, combining patterns of political party, social welfare organization and military power. Although it is often viewed through the reductionist prism of merely terrorist organization, the situation is much more complex, for in the course of years Hizballah has succeeded in creating an impressive socio-political base for its support, engaged constructively with the Lebanese political system, meanwhile carrying on a protracted guerilla war against Israel. The article traces the evolution of Hizballah and analyses the role of outside regional players, foremost Iran and Syria, in its strengthening and establishing as a dominant player in Lebanon. It focuses on the transformation of the movement from its terrorist origins to social engagement and political participation along the lines of its “infitah” policy of opening up, a process commonly referred to as “lebanonization of Hizballah”, looking into the terrorism versus resistance controversy surrounding Hizballah in the recent years of its existence.

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