The sources of success in Hizbullah's recruitment strategy. (c2008)

Abstract

9/11 refocused world attention on radical Islamist movements. One such movement is Lebanon's Hizbullah, which was identified by Washington as a terrorist organization. This study examines the case of Hizbullah as an example of a successful guerrilla movement. It does so by looking at a number of explanatory variables that help explain Hizbullah's success as a guerrilla movement. These variables include Hizbullah's recruitment strategy, its hierarchal structure, its historical background, and the services and support (military and financially) it offers its members and their families. Research for this thesis is based on a number of sources. I have used a number of personal interviews with anonymous members of Hizbullah's security organs to reconstruct Hizbullah's secretive recruitment strategy. The secondary literature on guerrilla movements has also helped me situate Hizbullah in comparative perspective. I have also looked at the available primary and secondary literature on Hizbullah. The thesis closes with some observations pertaining to prospects for Hizbullah's future demobilization and re-integration into civilian life.