ROSITA DI PERI

Determinanti storiche e politiche della nascita e dell'evoluzione di Hizballah

221

Maggio-Agosto 2009

Anno LXXIV    n. 2

Abstract - Hizballah, the «Party of God» started to take shape in Lebanon in 1982, as a response to the Israeli invasion. During the first stage of its existence, Hizballah – deeply  influenced by the example of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran – aimed not only at turning back the Israelis but at the creation of an Islamic state in Lebanon (idea that lost much of its importance during the last years). In fact, at the time Hizballah was both a radical Islamist movement and a communal political organization, aiming at representing the Shi’a of Lebanon.This categorization overlooks the fact that, in the course of time, Hizballah has become something much more complex than a purely m il itary and/or terrorist organization. Gradually it had extended its presence in the Lebanese civ il society, creating a increasingly extensive network of welfare and educational services. Then, beginning with 1992, Hizballah, going through a crucial political development, started to take part in the elections, repeatedly winning several seats. Since then, Hizballah has progressively lost much of its identity as a community based Islamist party, and has increasingly turned into a modern nationalist mass party, although with its own peculiar features.  The aim of this article is that of arriving at a more balanced assessment of Hizballah than the one that is presently dominant in the West. Accordingly it sketches out the historical development of the movement and its (incomplete) transformation from a m il itary organization into a modern political party, actively involved in parliamentary politics. In doing this, the structure of the «Party of God» is analyzed and discussed, in order to explain some of Hizballah’s main peculiarities. Finally, a conclusion dwells on two main problems left open by Hizballah’s incomplete transformation, namely: (a) the continuing contradiction between Hizballah as terrorist-Islamist organization and Hizballah as a modern political party acting in a democratic setting; and (b) the problems arising from the mixture between religion and politics that continues to inform Hizballah’s politics.