Why wasn't Hezbollah disarmed after the Lebanese civil war?

[JackNewtown]

Every milita in Lebanon was disarmed after the war except Hezbollah. Why was it the exception?

[Erika]

1. Hezbollah is a recognized political party in Lebanon

Twenty three percent of the parliament are Hezbollah members. This is a democratically elected democracy.

[DemFromMem]

9. What kind of political parties have military wings?

Does anyone else think that's totally f*#ked up? Can someone give an example of where one of these military wings was a positive rather than a negative influence on the development of democracy in a country?

There are plenty of examples in history where thugs were democratically elected so this is not a satisfactory answer.

[Solon]

13. Ireland's, at least till recently...

Sinn Féin party disputes claims that it is associated with the IRA, however, their membership overlaps quite a bit.

[DemFromMem]

23. Fair enough, but

I think if you're a Brit, you probably view Sinn Fein in the same light.

[mmonk]

2. Too much support for them keeping arms?

No one to make them? Members in the government? Could be any or all of the above I guess.

[Wonk]

3. Why weren't the Confederate States disarmed after the American civil war?

Because pushing too hard to do so would probably have re-ignited the civil war in short order.

Same answer to both questions.

[AlamoDemoc]

4. Hizballah made Israel vacate Labonan in the 80's

....Hizballah is the defender of Lebonan...in all purpose intended.

[liberalpragmatist]

17. It's ironic that you quote Gandhi while supporting military resistance

If you read my posts you can see that I'm hardly an Israeli apologist - I'm pretty appalled at the current campaign, in fact. But I don't support rationalizing either side's use of violence. YES, occupied people have a right to resist, but I will continue to believe - as Gandhi believed - that peaceful, nonviolent resistence is more moral and more effective than killing people.

And whatever your thoughts on Hezbollah's role in Lebanon in the past, the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers was a blatant, unprovoked attack on sovereign Israeli territory. And just as Israel is wrong to bomb civilian targets and infrastructure in Lebabon, Hezbollah is absolutely wrong to fire missiles on Israeli cities and Israeli civilians.

[ButterflyBlood]

5. After the civil war, Lebanon was occupied by Syria

Since Syria was one Hezbollah's primary source of support, they obviously weren't going to force their proxy force to disarm. All other militas did so, but Syrian support kept Hezbollah alive. After Syria was forced to leave last year, Hezbollah had entrenched themselves enough to survive on their own.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Who was going to disarm them?

The Lebanese army? Hezbollah was better armed and better equipped, and had greater manpower than the Lebanese army. There was no way short of civil war to disarm them.

[AlamoDemoc]

7. NO. It was Hizballah that get rid off Isreal, and not anyone else

Hizballah fought with the IOF along the border with Labonan, and made horoic battles agaisnt the well armed Israeli army...Hizballah won and the IOF withdrew from Lebonan.

[ButterflyBlood]

8. Thanks for proving my point here

As so many were saying no one on DU considers Hezbollah heroes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1645304

[Wonk]

10. Show me where in post #7 AlamoDemoc said they support

fundamentalist Islam?

If I said "the Russians mounted a heroic defense of Stalingrad in WWII", does that mean (in your view) that I support Stalin?

[AlamoDemoc]

11. I have read your post earlier...you are the few who never would want

to be viewed as against Israeli atrocities. Why not have a heart, and balls, and allow yourself to be independent from the mass-media, instead of writing an essay of useless, ridiculing your thinking?

[ButterflyBlood]

24. Gee, then why have I also been criticizing Israel there?

I'm just never going to upport of fundamentalist Muslims EVER. Pretty simple.

[cboy4]

12. I have zero sympathy for Hezbollah, but I have tons of sympathy for the

innocent civilians in Lebanon who are being bombed.

That's all I know

[AlamoDemoc]

14. Why don't you learn of Hizballah, and allow yourself to be open minded?

[cboy4]

15. They have no business puting so many civilians in danger by kidnapping

Israeli soliders and laughably expecting Israel to swap.

Period

[eridani]

18. Why would that be an unreasonable expectation?

Israel has been doing plenty of swapping of the people they kidnap in return for kidnappees on the other side. Why wouldn't they assume that more of the same is possible?

[cboy4]

19. You're not going to get me to side with stealing human beings,

just because Israel has agreed to swaps in the past.

It's wrong on both sides.

[eridani]

21. I don't like it either, However--

--it sure beats the bejeezus out of full-scale war, no?

[cboy4]

22. You don't think this is a full-scale war? And if not, you don't think this

will lead to a full-scale war?

Look how many people are dead because the decision was made to cross into another country and steal human beings.

NOTHING good has come out of it, and NOTHING will.

[eridani]

26. This kidnap-exchange-kidnap cycle has been going on for years

--without causing mass murder. However irritating, it is not an excuse for full-scale war on civilians.

[cboy4]

27. If the Israeli soldiers were taken while they were conducting operations

in Gaza and Lebanon -- that's one thing.

But these soldiers were, as far as I know, on Israeli soil in both instances.

I do not approve of the overwhelming Israeli response that's killing so many innocent civilians. It's terrible.

However, the bottom line is the militants gambled and lost.

There's nothing written that Israel is required to negotiate a swap.

Just as there's nothing written that Hezbollah is required to negotiate a swap.

However in this situation, Hezbollah was the aggressor first.

[eridani]

28. No, they weren't. Israel had kidnapped a couple of doctors in Gaza n/t

[cboy4]

30. If that's the case, then it is Hamas' problem. I'm primarily talking about

the situation in Lebanon.

Forget what happened in Gaza.

The Israelis did not trespass into Lebanese territory and kidnap two human beings. It was vice versa.

Again, I don't condone the disproportionate IDF response that's killing innocent civilians.

However, Hezbollah decided to tease the proverbial Cobra and got bit.

They acted recklessly, puting so many Lebanese people in danger.

I have zero sympathy for them in this regard.

[ButterflyBlood]

25. I know enough about them, they are fundamentalist religous wackos

Enough said.

[cali]

29. Here are some other 'heroic' acts performed by H'zbollah

Please note the bombing of a Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires in 1994 that killed 95.

From the Council of Foreign Relations:

"What major attacks is Hezbollah responsible for?
Hezbollah and its affiliates have planned or been linked to a lengthy series of terrorist attacks against the United States, Israel, and other Western targets. These attacks include:

a series of kidnappings of Westerners in Lebanon, including several Americans, in the 1980s;
the suicide truck bombings that killed more than 200 U.S. Marines at their barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983;
the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847, which featured the famous footage of the plane’s pilot leaning out of the cockpit with a gun to his head;
two major 1990s attacks on Jewish targets in Argentina—the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy (killing twenty-nine) and the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center (killing ninety-five).
a July 2006 raid on a border post in northern Israel in which two Israeli soldiers were taken captive. The abductions sparked an Israeli military campaign against Lebanon to which Hezbollah responded by firing rockets across the Lebanese border into Israel."

http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/

I'm interested as to whether you'll respond to this information.

[liberalpragmatist]

16. Hezbollah is the most powerful military force in the country

And the country is very delicately trying to piece itself back together after 2 decades of war followed by another decade and a half of Syrian and Israeli occupations.

Granted, they could be wrong, but it's important to keep in mind the point-of-view of the Lebanese. The internet is your friend. Their point is essentially that the Lebanese don't want to risk another civil war. Things were VERY edgy and movement against Hezbollah was desired by all the other groups but the intention was to do it gradually.

[JackNewtown]

20. Thanks for all the responses

I am curious about this. I hope we can generally stay on topic (there will always be a few exceptions) and save the debates about the current crisis for other threads.