Since leaving the Amal party in 1982, Hezbollah — meaning “Party of God” — has established a name for itself like no other. A Shiite Islamist terrorist group committed to Israel’s destruction, Hezbollah has arguably become Lebanon’s most powerful political party, obtaining veto power and a position in the current leading coalition, which controls the majority. Now the highest-grossing terrorist group, receiving $700 million from Iran out of its likely $1.1 billion in total income, Hezbollah has achieved notoriety, executing high-profile attacks: The U.S. Marine Barracks and embassy bombings. Hezbollah has since furthered large-scale regional discord, provoking wars with Israel, supplementing Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War, and now, threatening Israel with 140,000 rockets and impending war.
Despite its antagonism, Hezbollah has also established a reputation for its deceitful “benevolence,” creating an elaborate welfare system that many Lebanese cannot resist and the under-resourced Lebanese government cannot match. This welfare system — entailing infrastructural, medical, and educational services — has fueled a dependency cycle through which many, especially disenfranchised Shiites, turn a blind eye to terrorism and reciprocate support for Hezbollah in return for social services. To defeat Hezbollah, policymakers must overcome Hezbollah’s “bene-violent” duality and offer economic considerations to displace Lebanon’s dependency on Hezbollah’s welfare apparatus.
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