I wanna publish my book review as if it is written by british professor

Can you change the gramar and word mistakes

so that when anybody reads it they should not think i am foreign

As one of the cardinal factors of Lebanese politics, Hezbollah has also been crucial at the regional level . Since the Arab Spring plagued Syria out and made Iran unease, Hezbollah has found itself in a dilemma. While Nasrallah declared that popular revolutions in the Arab world had not been inspired by the United States, he emphasized in a self-contradictory manner: “Syrian government is being attacked because it does not abide by the rules of the Americans.” In regard to this book that has been published just after the outbreak of the Arab Spring, the arguments of the author might shed light on the occurring deadlocks of Hezbollah as well as its prospective political steps during the recent evolutions on the Region.

The author significantly focuses on the political metamorphosis of the movement. Therefore the book aims, at every turn, to show the transition of Hezbollah from revolutionary radicalism to pragmatic realism. In light of this thesis, the historical events occurred in Lebanon as well as around the world are re-examined from all sides. The first part of the book, as a candidate of being a strong academic study, starts with a theoretical framework. While the terms of social movements are being described, the author seriously criticizes that social movement researches, for many years, have underrated the importance of religion as radical factor in the development of a movement.

After a notional information on the first part, the book intends to examine the development of social movement in Muslim society on the following part. Subsequently, the important notions of Islamic movements such as the idea of one nation (Ummah) are mentioned. As the author notes that the Western researchers have failed to hold their stance impartial due to hostile attitude of fundamentalist Islam, the important events which caused the expansion of Islamic wave are defined as; (1) Iranian revolution, (2) Power of Arab Oil from 1970s on, (3) The victory of the Mujahideen over USSR in Afghanistan, (4) The Collapse of communist ideology. Therefore, fundamentalist Islam is remarked as a part of global phenomenon.

The book assumes the religious fanaticism as the consequences of social and demographic processes, pessimistic expression of radical intellectuals, the defeat of Arab states against Israel, urbanization process. Moreover, two basic approaches of Islamic movements are specified. The first one is the reformist approach that desires to establish Islamic state by gradual process; the second one is the revolutionary approach that desires to apply Islamic rule by radical activism. Unlike the Sunni revolutionary movements, the religious figures are mostly the leaders of Shiite revolutionary movements.

According to the book, the public Islamic discourse is polemic and dynamic by nature. Furthermore, they use Islamic symbols to provide legitimacy to create social mobilization and unification. All parties regard Islam as the comprehensive solution. But the debate emerges with regard to the means to achieve this goal: radicalism or pragmatism. As such, the book rates Khomeini as the father of Shiite radicalism. Therefore, Khomeinism has started to export the revolution and assist the radical Islamic movements.

Eitan Azani as the author of book suggests “a model of evolution of fundamentalist movements”. These stages are categorized as the foundation, the consolidation, the expansion, institutionalizing, seizing the reign (or the decline). Unlike other political historians, he has rather preferred to examine the history of Hezbollah relying on this “five stage model”. As he performs a successful categorization of the history of Hezbollah, the year 1992 is regarded as the milestones of radical transition of Hezbollah from pan-Islamism into pragmatism. With sending delegates to Lebanese parliament at the end of 1992 elections, the movement has become institutionalized and integrated into Lebanese system. Nasrallah, who is secretary general of Hezbollah, has been aware of, one the one hand, people’s fear of Hezbollah’s intentions to establish an Islamic regime; on the other hand, the fear of movement’s hard core abandoning Islamic ideology. Hence he has tried to give message to both sides simultaneously. In order to reduce a revolutionary image reliant on Iranian regime, Nasrallah has opposed pan-Islamic extremism and Iranian connection by saying: “Hezbollah is a Lebanese party whose leadership is Lebanese. Hezbollah did not rise to serve an Iranian plan.”

The author notes that gradual processes have granted Hezbollah a victorious evolution. After the Although the movement has chose to become more nationalist and less radical, it does not moderate their concept of “Resistance”. Moreover, although the UN resolution after the Second Lebanon War in 2006 have obligated all sides to become disarmed, Hezbollah increasingly improved its weaponry “in order to protect Lebanon against Israel”. The author remarks that the movement has forcibly been assisted by Syria and Iran. On the conclusion, the author calls attention to Islamization of Lebanon in the long turn, Nasrallah-Ahmedinejad-Assad meeting in Damascus in 2010. It has been denoted that the recent developments in favor of Hezbollah are alarming.

It might be said that the core message of the book is apparent. The idea of that the movement has turned into a Lebanese pragmatism since 1992 is firmly established. Unlike other political books, this one grants the comprehensive explanation and the academic categorization to Hezbollah issue. If we take into account Dr. Azani who is a Colonel in the Israel Defense Forces, it might be said that the book is relatively more impartial and less emotional. At the same time, he questions many theories based on this issue and criticizes those which produce fallacy or cannot response to current developments. Although the book seems a reliable guidebook for the issue of Hezbollah, it needs to be added that the book has been written in such an academic style that some parts are sophisticated to understand while some others are prepared in such a simple framework. Another criticizable point occurs at the conclusion on where the author asserts his pessimistic previsions about Hezbollah’s next steps. Albeit, Dr. Azani could not project the effects of the Arab Spring that has just emerged in Tunisia when the book is newly published. By contrast with authors’ last statements about Hezbollah’s increasing power, its strategic allies (Syria and Iran) have started to suffer from Arab Spring, international repression and sanctions. Maybe it could be last stage of model that the author has formed: Seizing the reign or the decline.