Originally published: 2007.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Origins and prehistory of Hezbollah. The rise of Shi°i politics from the mid-twentieth century to the Lebanese Civil War ; The role of Musa al-Sadr ; The resurgence of Amal -- The founding of Hezbollah. The Iraq connection ; The 1982 Israeli invasion ; Hezbollah emerges ; The Hezbollah worldview ; Implementing the design -- Being a Shi°i Muslim in the twenty-first century. Ritual and identity ; The intersection of ritual and politics -- Resistance, terrorism, and violence in Lebanon. Hezbollah and terrorism ; Occupation in Southern Lebanon ; The "rules of the game" ; The 2000 Israeli withdrawal -- Playing politics. Hezbollah's decision to participate ; Municipal elections ; The revolt of the hungry ; The rich texture of Shi°i institutions -- From celebration to war. The changing social tapestry in post-civil war Lebanon ; Lebanon's love-hate relationship with Rafiq al-Hariri, and his assassination ; Setting the stage for war ; The start of hostilities, July 2006 ; Prosecuting the war -- Conclusion. Hezbollah in a fractured postwar Lebanon ; What next? -- Afterword to the paperback edition -- Glossary.

With unmatched clarity and authority, the author tells how Hezbollah developed, how it has evolved, and what direction it might take in the future.