Spring Break
Hezbollah: Friend or Foe?
What the organization means to the Lebanese
Sarah Dajani '09
Issue date: 10/1/06 Section: International News
Hezbollah's attack on Israeli soldiers near the southern Lebanese border came as a surprise to many around the globe. Preceded by Israel's attack on a Gaza beach, which left eight civilians dead and reignited clashes between Hamas and the Israeli army, Hezbollah's actions contributed to another Mid-East crisis centered around Israel and Lebanon.
As the more media-attuned of us know, six weeks of warfare followed - killing over 1,100 Lebanese and fourty-three Israeli civilians and ending with a ceasefire negotiated largely by the US. Although many Americans view this period of violence as a consequence of Hezbollah's "terrorist" agenda in the destruction of Israel, many living in the Middle East do not equate Hezbollah with terrorism. In the Arab world and even in many European countries, Hezbollah is thought of as a resistance movement, similar to French and American resistance movements in previous centuries. But how did this divergence in views come to exist?
Before we examine Hezbollah from an American mindset, we must clarify the general viewpoint of the United States. As agents of the world's superpower, America's political leaders and government officials act as "omniscient" arbiters in the conflict between Israel and surrounding Arab countries, resulting in American opinion weighing heavily on the future of the Middle East. But factors such as the Israeli lobby (like the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) and America's unique position as Israel's strongest ally create bias in deciding how to deal with the Middle East conflict. American media, foreign policy, economy and, therefore, the American people and their government are affected by this bias and have become shockingly univocal. Regardless of whose opinion happens to be correct, the gap in information and the lack of truly diverse perspectives has created a stark divide between the opinions of most Americans and the opinions of those experiencing the conflict. It is thus essential for us to listen to the other side in an attempt to find out who Hezbollah really is.
As the more media-attuned of us know, six weeks of warfare followed - killing over 1,100 Lebanese and fourty-three Israeli civilians and ending with a ceasefire negotiated largely by the US. Although many Americans view this period of violence as a consequence of Hezbollah's "terrorist" agenda in the destruction of Israel, many living in the Middle East do not equate Hezbollah with terrorism. In the Arab world and even in many European countries, Hezbollah is thought of as a resistance movement, similar to French and American resistance movements in previous centuries. But how did this divergence in views come to exist?
Before we examine Hezbollah from an American mindset, we must clarify the general viewpoint of the United States. As agents of the world's superpower, America's political leaders and government officials act as "omniscient" arbiters in the conflict between Israel and surrounding Arab countries, resulting in American opinion weighing heavily on the future of the Middle East. But factors such as the Israeli lobby (like the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) and America's unique position as Israel's strongest ally create bias in deciding how to deal with the Middle East conflict. American media, foreign policy, economy and, therefore, the American people and their government are affected by this bias and have become shockingly univocal. Regardless of whose opinion happens to be correct, the gap in information and the lack of truly diverse perspectives has created a stark divide between the opinions of most Americans and the opinions of those experiencing the conflict. It is thus essential for us to listen to the other side in an attempt to find out who Hezbollah really is.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 6
Ryan S.
posted 10/26/06 @ 6:00 PM EST
While I agree with your last paragraph I find it amazing that you think Americans hate Hezbollah because they are just stupid and misinformed. All the pages in this article and not once did you mention the ?U. (Continued…)
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