Beyond the Islamic state : a new perspective on Hizballah's policies

Islamist movements have traditionally been analyzed on the basis of their goal of establishing an Islamic State. But how should these movements be understood when this seemingly fundamental goal is abandoned? The following is a study of the Lebanese Hizballah, where I pursue a hypothesis that the aim of this party is to get a hegemony over Shiite Lebanon. By studying different components of the Shiite Lebanese society; a local community in South Lebanon, the religious leader Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, Hizballah itself, and their Shiite critics, I argue that this party has managed to get a hegemony over the Shiite community. Through this hegemony Hizballah has managed to become the dominant political force in Lebanon, and is thus able to control the direction of national politics as well