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Hezbollah and the Axis of Refusal: Hamas, Iran and Syria

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  • Rola El Husseini

Abstract

Hezbollah has acquired a dual and contradictory reputation: as a legitimate political actor in Lebanon and as a terrorist organisation in the USA and Israel. This duality can be explained if we understand that Hezbollah is a nationalist entity that defines itself primarily within the Lebanese polity, as well as an anti-imperialist party intent on countering the regional hegemony of Israel and the USA. Forming alliances with Hamas, Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has become part of a ‘rejectionist’ axis that seeks to oppose perceived imperialism in the Middle East; this stance has become increasingly entrenched in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Characterisations that focus on Hezbollah as a military opponent confirm the organisation's perceived need for a rejectionist stance. International acceptance of Hezbollah as a legitimate political actor within the Lebanese polity, on the other hand, would help to bring the basis of the rejectionist axis into question.

Suggested Citation

  • Rola El Husseini, 2010. "Hezbollah and the Axis of Refusal: Hamas, Iran and Syria," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(5), pages 803-815.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ctwqxx:v:31:y:2010:i:5:p:803-815
    DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2010.502695
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    Cited by:

    1. Akbar Khan & Han Zhaoying, 2020. "Iran-Hezbollah Alliance Reconsidered: What Contributes to the Survival of State-Proxy Alliance?," Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, , vol. 7(1), pages 101-123, April.
    2. Mustafa Yetim & Tamer Kaşıkcı, 2021. "Re-adapting to Changing Middle Eastern Politics: The Modification in Turkey’s Actor Perception and Turkey-Free Syrian Army (FSA) Relations," Contemporary Review of the Middle East, , vol. 8(2), pages 193-209, June.

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