The Essence

This piece in the WaPo by Brian Humphrey, a Marine Infantry Officer in Iraq, attempts to draw a comparison between Middle Eastern "grass-roots" attempts at winning over a population. That comparison is difficult to reason because of many factors that I believe distinguish the two groups, however, he does make one of the most reasoned analysis of Hezbollah's popularity in Southern Lebanon that I have seen in main-stream Western Media:

"Hezbollah's organizational resilience in the face of an all-out conventional assault shows the degree to which it has seamlessly combined the strategic objectives of its sponsors with a localized political and military program.

Using the grass-roots approach, Hezbollah has been able to convert the ignored and dispossessed Shiite underclass of southern Lebanon into a powerful lever in regional politics. It understands that the basic need in any human conflict, whether or not it involves physical violence, is to take care of one's political base before striking out at the opponent.

As many informed observers have pointed out, Hezbollah has engrafted itself to the aims and aspirations of the Lebanese Shiite community so completely that Israel cannot destroy it without also destroying the community, with all the attendant political and moral costs. It is the willingness of women, children and old men to support Hezbollah and its political program at the risk of their lives that gives the organization power far beyond its military means."