Senior officials in the Obama administration are batting around the notion that the Taliban in Afghanistan could play a role comparable to that of Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to The Washington Post.
In the article, an unnamed official emphasized that Hezbollah does not threaten the United States (a surprising notion given the nefarious role Hezbollah has played in Iraq), and he appears to envision a Hezbollah model for the Taliban.
Those considering such a policy would be wise to reflect on Lebanon's experience with Hezbollah operating under the guise of political participation. It is worth asking the question, therefore: Has Hezbollah evolved or, at a minimum, moderated, since it began actively participating in Lebanese politics?
Since its inception, Hezbollah has made two significant decisions to participate in Lebanese politics. In 1992, Hezbollah first ran candidates in Lebanese parliamentary elections, only after receiving a formal ruling from Iran's supreme leader, and in 2005 it formally joined the Lebanese Cabinet for the first time.
Hezbollah official Ali Fayyad admits that Hezbollah chose to join the Cabinet once "profound transformations in the Lebanese political balance after the withdrawal of the Syrian troops" compelled Hezbollah to reconsider its tactics. It is clear that these were tactical moves informed by changes in the political context; in no way did such decisions alter Hezbollah's strategic goals.
In contrast to common wisdom, preserving Hezbollah's ultimate strategy - the "resistance" - and military autonomy were the driving factors behind Hezbollah's political participation.
This was articulated by a Hezbollah spokesman in a 2007 interview with the International Crisis Group: "Paradoxically, some want us to get involved in the political process in order to neutralize us. In fact, we intend to get involved - but precisely in order to protect the strategic choice of resistance."
As Hezbollah's participation in Lebanese politics has deepened, it has simply used the political system as yet another tool with which to wield its agenda. Again, one can look to Hezbollah's leadership to understand its perspective on political participation.
"In Hezbollah's view," explains Mr. Fayyad, "it was no longer possible to pursue the resistance project and correct the state-building process from outside the structure of power." Therefore, political participation is a tool that enables Hezbollah to co-opt the state, rather than vice versa.
From inside the power structure, Hezbollah is well-positioned to monitor the state and other political actors, and to force them (by arms, if necessary) to comply with its regional agenda. In other words, Hezbollah's political participation is the utter bastardization and inexorable destruction of democracy. They are using the system to protect their status outside of it, not to integrate within it.
