How did Hizballah - a Shia militia born in the chaos of Lebanon's Civil War during the 1980s - become Lebanon's most influential political party and the Middle East's most significant non-state military force? What are Hizballah's priorities and objectives, and what are their implications for regional stability? The course will examine Hizballah's leadership and structure, its strengths and weaknesses, its constituencies and partners, its activities within Lebanon and globally, and its relationship with Iran. Attention will be given to US policy toward Hizballah, whose 1983 attack on the Marine Barracks in Beirut remains the deadliest day for US Marines since the Battle of Iwo Jima. Discussion will draw lessons from Hizballah's roles in Lebanon's ongoing economic and political crises, the 2022 Lebanon-Israel Maritime Border Agreement, and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
