O Hezbollah no sistema político libanês: um estudo sobre segurança, representação e legitimidade

Abstract

Despite being classified as a terrorist organization by several countries, Hezbollah should be analyzed as a complex and multifaceted actor. Emerging as a revolutionary militia in a country marked by ethnic and religious plurality and threats from neighboring countries, the organization has transformed into a political party, widely accepted in the Lebanese electoral system and supported by a segment of Lebanese society. Given this challenging scenario, it is impossible to understand the reasons why groups like Hezbollah become legitimized without comprehending how the Lebanese state is formed. Thus, the main objective of this research is to analyze the social, political, and economic factors that enable the group's legitimacy in Lebanese society and the political system. The central hypothesis is that the Shiite organization is capable of addressing demands for security, health, education, and representation that the Lebanese state fails to meet. Additionally, the changes in status experienced by the group appear to have some impact on its influence over the political landscape. This research is conducted through a case study, based on the hypothetical-deductive method and the use of process tracing methodology. The aim is to seek the causes of the sustained legitimacy by examining the relationship between stages of events that have occurred since its creation.