Dirty Bombs to Clean Water: Hezbollah's Political Transition From 1984 - 1992

Abstract

This thesis examines Hezbollah’s transition from their violent forms of political expression after their founding in 1984, to their involvement in the Lebanese electoral system in 1992. Drawing on the instrumental and organizational approaches for studying group behavior, this thesis examines the external instrumental factors and internal organizational factors that contributed to the political evolution of Hezbollah from an organization focused primarily on violent forms of political expression to an organization that primarily uses the parliamentary process. Examining Hezbollah’s transition and using it as a point of reference, the thesis exposes weaknesses of conventional International Relations analytical approaches to studying terrorist organizations and provides a more objective approach to studying political violence. It argues that the pejorative nature of the term terrorism, combined with problems developing a consensus on defining terrorism, limit the term’s usefulness for academics attempting to objectively examine political violence.