ABSTRACT
Taking its point of departure in Hezbollah's intervention in Syria's sect-coded civil war, this chapter argues that this engagement was a necessity to prevent a shift in the regional balance of power in its rivals’ favor. It examines Hezbollah's political instrumentalization of sectarian identity and how it used sect-centricity as a tool for geopolitical gains. Additionally, it demystifies Hezbollah's shift into a quasi-army during the Syrian conflict that now uses a mixture of classical army-guerilla tactics. In other words, Hezbollah became one of the most powerful armed non-state actors in the world. Moreover, it redraws the contours of the partnership between state and armed non-state actors within the Axis and explains how blood, death, and mutual goals have tightened this bond. Overall, this chapter surveys the interplay between three factors that transitioned Hezbollah into a regional armed non-state actor: the political instrumentalization of its Shi‘a sectarian identity, its shift into a quasi-army, and its embed as a partner within the Axis.
