| Since its founding in the early 1980s, Hezbollah has become a major political player in Middle East politics. Attempts at explaining the organization's behavior, however, has been largely limited to one theory---that the group's actions are driven by long-time allies and benefactors Iran and Syria. This thesis challenges this "proxy" view of Hezbollah and explores, under the "great men" theory, the influence of the organization's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, a charismatic leader with celebrity status across the entire Arab world. This study finds that, while Iran and Syria were defining forces in Hezbollah's early ideologies and actions, the organization now operates with a high level of independence, allowing Nasrallah to carry out his own vision for the Party of God. Therefore, to understand the organization today and to predict how it will act in the future, focus cannot remain solely on Iran and Syria but must be expanded to include the preferences and strategies of Secretary-General Nasrallah. |
