Hezbollah: A Short History »

Augustus Richard Norton is professor of international relations and anthropology at Boston University. A former U.S. Army officer and West Point professor, he has conducted research in Lebanon for close to three decades.

"Hezbollah is a timely and landmark work. Richard Norton draws on his extensive expertise to offer a comprehensive history that will be of interest to anyone who seeks a better understanding of Hezbollah, Lebanon, or current developments in the Middle East."--Lee Hamilton, Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission and Co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group

"One of the most remarkable developments in the Middle East in recent years is Hezbollah's meteoric rise to power. No one can better explain the broad implications of this phenomenon than Richard Norton. Drawing on his vast knowledge of Lebanon, Norton has written a timely and readable primer that lucidly explains the intricacies of Hezbollah's ideology and history and demystifies its political strategy."--Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future

"Norton is uniquely positioned to provide an analysis of Hezbollah, one that is historical, nuanced, and informed by more than twenty-five years of experience as a researcher and policy advisor on Lebanon. He is one of the foremost American experts on Hezbollah and Shi'i politics in Lebanon. In addition, Norton's writing is always clear and accessible. This concise and accurate primer will be invaluable to general readers, reporters, and scholars."--Lara Deeb, author of An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi'i Lebanon

"I recommend this book with greatest enthusiasm. Norton is one of the premier--if not the premier--American authorities on Shi'i politics in Lebanon. Add to this the fact that he is a talented writer who can communicate complex ideas in a fluent, engaging, and accessible fashion. Telling quotes and anecdotes enliven the book and ground it. Norton is the rare academic whose expertise doesn't prevent him from communicating well with a general reader."--Eva Bellin, Hunter College, City University of New York

The Washington Post - Jonathan Finer

Twenty-five years ago, Hezbollah was a ragtag religious militia, founded under the thumb of Israel's long occupation of southern Lebanon and struggling against stronger rival groups for the hearts and minds of Lebanon's Shiite underclass. Today, Hezbollah is a political party, a social-service organization and a military power that emerged from a hard-fought standoff with the Israeli army last summer as the dominant player in Lebanon's politics and perhaps the most formidable nonstate actor in the Middle East.

Augustus Richard Norton's timely Hezbollah chronicles that dramatic evolution and its sweeping implications for the region and beyond. His lucid primer is the first serious reappraisal of the radical Shiite group since last summer's war shattered six years of relative calm on one of the world's most volatile frontiers.

Prologue     1
Origins and Prehistory of Hezbollah     9
The Rise of Shi'i Politics from the Mid-twentieth Century to the Lebanese Civil War     14
The Role of Musa al-Sadr     18
The Resurgence of Amal     21
The Founding of Hezbollah     27
The Iraq Connection     30
The 1982 Israeli Invasion     32
Hezbollah Emerges     34
The Hezbollah Worldview     35
Implementing the Design     41
Being a Shi'a Muslim in the Twentieth Century     47
Ritual and Identity     51
The Intersection of Ritual and Politics     58
Resistance, Terrorism, and Violence in Lebanon     69
Hezbollah and Terrorism     75
Occupation in Southern Lebanon     79
The "Rules of the Game"     83
The 2000 Israeli Withdrawal     88
Playing Politics     95
Hezbollah's Decision to Participate     98
Municipal Elections     103
The Revolt of the Hungry     105
The Rich Texture of Shi'i Institutions     107
From Celebration to War     113
The Changing Social Tapestry in Post-Civil War Lebanon     120
Lebanon'sLove-Hate Relationship with Rafiq Hariri, and His Assassins     124
Setting the Stage for War     132
The Start of Hostilities, July 2006     135
Prosecuting the War     137
Conclusion     145
Hezbollah in a Fractured Postwar Lebanon     152
What Next?     157
Glossary     161
Additional Reading     163
Sources Cited     169
Index     173
Acknowledgments     185