What Went Wrong? The Impact of Western Policies towards Hamas and Hizbollah. CEPS Policy Brief No. 135, 16 July 2007

Tocci, Nathalie. (2007) What Went Wrong? The Impact of Western Policies towards Hamas and Hizbollah. CEPS Policy Brief No. 135, 16 July 2007.

Abstract

[From the Introduction]. International policies and in particular EU and US policies towards Hamas and Hizbollah have had multiple and interlocking effects in the last two years. Most visibly, western policies have impacted upon the two movements themselves, on the domestic governance systems in Palestine and Lebanon, and on the relations between Hamas and Hizbollah and their respective domestic political rivals. In turn, they have also had an impact on the conflicts between Israel and Palestine/Lebanon, and on the mediating roles of the international community. The balance sheet is far from positive. Paradoxically, western policies have often hampered the quest for international peace, democracy and good governance, as well as inter- and intra-state reconciliation. This Policy Brief offers a comparative analysis of the impact of western policies on three principal domestic and international dimensions of the Middle Eastern conundrum: 􀂃 the transformation and popularity of Hamas and Hizbollah, 􀂃 Lebanese and Palestinian governance and 􀂃 intra-Lebanese and Palestinian reconciliation.