This article was proposed by a friend - Cedrus Tutella and outlines his vision of the HA phenomenom in Lebanon…

HEZBALLAH: The COUNTER-SOCIETY

(Moujtama3 moudad)

It’s all in the name

Hezb-Allah. Two crucial components, intrinsic to the name. Hezb, as in “party,” as opposed to a militia, or an army, such as, say, Jaishallah. It was thus engineered from the start to be a movement with massive popular support, from which it would derive national and regional credibility and legitimacy. The Allah part is even more obvious. Guidance and orders are divine, and undivided obedience is a given. Hezballah, from a religious point of view, means “those who have chosen the path of Allah – unlike the rest…”

It’s in the flag too

A flag is the summation and summary of what one stands for. Hezballah’s mother entity, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, (Pasdaran) simply drew another version of its own for its successfully exported offspring. Let’s point out the analogies:

The Iranian sponsored Popular Resistance Councils. (PRC) But that’s another story. Or is it?

Threat to the nation

By imposing his paramilitary and fascist socio-religious model on an ever-expanding territorial basis, Hezballah constitutes a clear and present danger to our very existence. The threat is to the very inception of Lebanon, an entity in total antagonism with Hezballah’s religious tenets. Hezballah’s participants to politics are not religious men, as these are “above” the nation and its institutions, which they openly reject and deny, even ban from “their zones.” This is the concept of Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam, whereby Dar al-Islam is their world, and Dar al-Harb is… the rest, upon which they wage war until it is subdued and thus part of Dar-al Islam. Hezballah has already accomplished this agenda in Lebanon. It already controls its own Dar and is now moving in on the rest of us, into our Dar…

Hostile take-over

Since its inception, Hezballah, awash with unlimited Iranian cash and military support, capitalized on a Shia population which was extremely primed, due to its neglected and deprived situation, to fall for the flowing incentive, willingly or otherwise. All opposition was swiftly eliminated. Rival Shia party Amal soon reached the state of shadow ally. When the civil war ended, the occupying Syrian forces coerced all political entities in Lebanon to recognize Hezballah’s “special” status, and allow it to maintain its arsenal. Hezballah’s strength reached unprecedented heights under Lahoud’s shameful presidency, whereby the Iran’s militia forcibly replaced the nation and its institutions, applying its own rule of law.

Chosen path: war as an end, not a means to an end

No party should have an exclusive right to wage an independence war, or even to selectively fight one invader and hook its lifeline to another. But let’s assume this is all beyond us now. And Now is May 2000. The Israeli invader is out, and South Lebanon is free. The UN is handling remnants of territorial disputes and controversies. What is, then, the expected course of action for the valiant militia post-victory? Turn South Lebanon into heaven on earth, of course, an aim much facilitated by geography, and towards which most southerners were longing. Or NOT? Hezballah turned South Lebanon into one giant bunker, sinking billions of dollars in the process, and… postponed heaven until after death, which is where it belongs, they insist on “thinking,” and pursue their unending war agenda. The conclusion is clear.

Conclusion. A foreign mercenary force, politico-military amateurism, a hostage nation

On July 12, 2006, Hezballah, acting on obvious Iranian pressure, and betraying all promises of restrain made to both the government and the nation, launches a cross-border raid against Israel. We all know the results of this mercenary action. Despite the undisputed tactical success against the IDF, one is forced to recognize two things. The first is that the IDF never really intended to invade. If it did, it would have never bombed every single bridge and road crossing, all necessary communication routes for its entirely mechanized army. Hezballah, thanks to its drug smuggling network into the IDF, was quite aware that no mobilization orders were issued, for neither logistics nor reservists. No military intelligence activities were carried out either. Hence the words of being both surprised (by the intensive air raids) and ready (for the land invasion – it’s not coming!) The second essential aspect is that, in the Israeli strategic point of view, its Spoiling Attack was a total success, indeed a much better scenarios than victory against Iran’s militia. It diverted Hezballah’s total power against a much competitive neighbor and host nation which, once again, is a hostage nation. Hostage to a fascist counter-society with an alien and hostile agenda. For said counter-society, this is business as usual. They are not expecting any miracles this side of death. Hezballah smartly promised them something it doesn’t have to deliver. It comes after death.

Cedrus Tutela