Hizballah after the Syrian Withdrawal
2005; Middle East Research and Information Project; Issue: 237 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/30042473
ISSN0899-2851
Autores Tópico(s)Middle East Politics and Society
Resumoince the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 in September 20zoo4, Hizballah has been in the internaS tional spotlight. In addition to demanding the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, the resolution calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, primarily reference to the Islamic Resistance that is Hizballah's armed wing. Following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, the resulting Uprising in Lebanon and the hasty withdrawal of the Syrian army in the spring of 20zoo05, some thought Hizballah would have to bow to pressure and dissolve the only Lebanese militia remaining after the Ta'if agreement that helped to end the I975-1990 civil war. Yet months later, the Shi'i Islamist party continues to vow to safeguard the Islamic Resistance, and the new Lebanese government, like its predecessor, continues to say that disarmament should be dealt with within the framework of internal national dialogue. After cautiously straddling the fence during the Independence Uprising, thanking its erstwhile Syrian patrons for their Lebanese intervention rather than asking them to stay, Hizballah remains powerful political actor. Syria's departure has not obstructed the party's steady transformation into normal participant in Lebanese politics; to the contrary, for the first time, Hizballah has minister in the Lebanese government. Hizballah has kept its transformation on course, all the while refusing to dissolve its militia. It has done this largely by emphasizing its Lebanese nationalist credentials and rejecting the charge, most recently leveled by the formerly exiled ex-general Michel Aoun, that it is a state within state.
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