Omayma Abdel-Latif reviews the outlines of Hizbullah's new political manifesto Twenty-four years, two world orders, a civil war, a liberation war, a war of resistance and numerous political developments separate the first political manifesto of Hizbullah -- issued in 1985 -- and the second issued Monday. For the first time since the Islamist resistance movement joined the political process in Lebanon in 1992 through parliamentary elections, Hizbullah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah offered what amounted to a clear cut political platform. The 32-page document addressed issues ranging from the political system in Lebanon, the resistance's arms, the Palestinian question, and Lebanon's relations with the Arab world and the West. Contrary to the previous document, the new political vision toned down the Islamist rhetoric. Reference to establishing an Islamic order in Lebanon -- a key element in the previous manifesto -- has been omitted. Rather, the document purports acceptance of the diversity that is Lebanon. The document offers a theoretical framework for already existing policies implemented by Hizbullah. While there have been some shifts regarding some issues, most of Hizbullah's ideological constants remain intact, including the group's anti-US and anti-Israel line, both represent a defining element of Hizbullah in rhetoric and actions since inception. Israel took the lion's share of its condemnation. The ongoing Israeli threat, said Nasrallah, forces the resistance to continue to boost its capacity in order to fulfil its role in liberating occupied territory. "The Israeli threat calls for Lebanon to have a defence strategy built on a marriage between a popular resistance that helps to defend the country against Israeli aggression and a national army that protects the country and its stability," said the document. Few were surprised at the party's escalating tone against the US, describing it as the "source of all terrorism in the world". In the 1985 manifesto, the party identified its enemies as, "Israel and America, France and the Kataib [the Phalange Party]". In the new manifesto Hizbullah employs what observers say is a more reasoned approach: "The American administration's unlimited support to Israel... places the American administration in the position of the enemy of our nation and our peoples." Hizbullah will not give up its arms so long as the Israeli threat persists: "Israel represents a constant threat and an impending danger to Lebanon." Nasrallah said the reason behind articulating a new vision for Hizbullah is "because of the historic transformations the region has been undergoing". One such key transformation is the apparent retreat of the US role in the region. "This is an exceptional political phase pregnant with historic transformations and can no longer be approached without paying attention to the place occupied by our resistance movement." Another important reason, which Nasrallah did not mention, is that during the past five years the resistance movement moved from opposition to becoming a real and key partner in the Lebanese political scene. This might explain why Hizbullah allocated a whole chapter to the Lebanese political system, which -- in the 1985 document -- it refused to recognise and sought to alter radically. Such a leap, prompted one commentator to suggest that the new political manifesto heralds a new era for the resistance movement as it officially puts Hizbullah "in the political club in Lebanon". Hizbullah acknowledges the diversity of Lebanon and admits that at the heart of the ills of the Lebanese system is the system of confessional checks and balances. Hizbullah welcomed a recent call by parliament speaker Nabih Berri to set up a body that works to end the confessional system. Nasrallah called for the creation of a body whose main mission is to look into the issue. On Lebanon, the resistance movement appears to be making groundbreaking moves. The manifesto, however, is only a written document of a policy Hizbullah has long been pursuing, including when it brokered electoral alliances with its major pro-Western opponents in the 2005 parliamentary elections, and the signing in February 2006 of a memorandum of understanding with General Michel Aoun, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, the most popular Christian force. Hizbullah also walked the extra mile to put an end to sectarian tension between Sunni and Shia communities. Hizbullah's political manifesto comes at a time when the resistance movement is at a crossroads, having to operate within a hostile environment domestically and regionally. One conclusion to draw from this document is that Hizbullah -- unlike some Islamist movements -- has proven to be less dogmatic than realpolitik. This explains the party's success in transforming itself from a local Lebanese resistance movement to an icon and model of resistance in the Muslim and Arab world.
