Reviews - Books
Understanding Hezbollah From Hassan Nasrallah to Michel Aoun A Political Reading of Hezbollah Author Fayez Qazzi Published by: Riad El-Rayyes, January 2009
In his book, Fayez Qazzi provides an account of the history of Hezbollah since its establishment and helps the reader to better understand Hezbollah through explaining its power structure
F
ayez Qazzi provides in his book «From Hassan Nasrallah to Michel Aoun a Political Reading of Hezbollah» a critique of the book written by Shaikh Na›im Qassem, the deputy of Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. The author examines the ideas present in Na›im Qassem›s book while questioning them along the way. Qazzi guides the readers through the history of Hezbollah since its establishment until now, assessing the important issues that have shaped the organization. The book also presents the philosophy behind the establishment of Hezbollah and the ideas that govern its policies, as well as a thorough explanation of its power structure that enables the readers to better understand Hezbollah.
opinions of prominent politicians. The book equally succeeds in leading the reader to a better understanding of Hezbollah, its history, philosophy and ideas, structure and external affiliation. The author covers every aspect and position that Hezbollah has - from where its stands on resistance to how it defines the «enemy,” as well as its understanding of its affiliation with Syria and, most importantly, Iran. It is thus able to explain Hezbollah›s position on most of the major issues, such as the Palestinian occupation and participation in the Lebanese political life. Qazzi highlights in several chapters the importance of understanding the relationship between Iran for the implications this has on the lengths that Hezbollah will go to to follow Iran›s lead.
The uniqueness of this book is found in its ability to present many different points of view. The book does not provide a direct conclusion; nevertheless it guides the reader through presenting facts, and
Despite these aforementioned strengths, the book lacks an objective perspective. Through the questions he proposes and the criticism he puts forth, Qazzi›s opposition towards Hezbollah is clear. In addition, the
10 October, 2009
book can be overly informative, although it could be argued that this is a way of presenting the audience with all they need to know to have a clear understanding of Hezbollah. Additionally, the author presents information with an underlying assumption that the reader is well read in regards of Lebanese politics with all its complicated particularities. Finally, the author suggests that the only resolution for Lebanon to truly benefit from Hezbollah and the only way that Hezbollah could truly become integrated in Lebanese political life is through reform from within the party itself. Fayez Qazzi believes that the party should question its complete and absolute affiliation to Iran and should change its ambition from creating a «Hezbollah state» or a theocratic state that is only an extension of the Iranian regime. Rather, he believes they should aim to being a constructive force in strengthening the state of Lebanon thus promoting its development.
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