Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study [Kindle Edition]

Joshua L Gleis (Author), Benedetta Berti (Author)

Book Description

Hezbollah and Hamas are major players in Middle Eastern politics and have a growing involvement in global events. Despite their strikingly different beginnings, they share a common denominator�an adversary in Israel. Hezbollah and Hamas draws from primary interviews and documents coupled with a thorough review of current scholarship. This is a portrait of the organizations� roots, histories, ideologies, relationships, tactics, political outlooks, and futures. Joshua L. Gleis and Benedetta Berti present organization charts, maps, and a case study of the TriBorder Area in South America, which frequently serves as an operational center for terrorist groups.

Recognizing that these two groups are increasingly relevant to U.S. national security, Gleis and Berti provide a comparative analysis of their histories and political missions that moves beyond reductionist portrayals of the organizations' military operations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An essential read for policymakers to help them understand not only how these organizations are structured but also how they operate and the ideas that animate them.

(William Martel, The Fletcher School, Tufts University )

Within the past six years, Israel has fought one war with Hezbollah, the Party of God, and two wars with Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement. What are their roots, histories, ideologies, and tactics? Joshua L. Gleis and Benedetta Berti skillfully explore these issues in a fine primer.

(Canadian Jewish News 2012)

Solid analyses of these two Islamist national resistance movements, both of which—notably Hezbollah—demonstrate a kind of strength that is lacking in more secular organizations and constitutes a new kind of challenge to Israel.

(Choice 2013)

As Joshua L. Gleis and Benedetta Berti argue in Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study, a first-rate account of their respective development, Hezbollah and Hamas have evolved into important players in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and will continue to play this role in the future.

(Sheldon Kirshner Canadian Jewish News 2013)

Valuable as an introduction to the background and structure of these organizations.

(Yehudit Barksy Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs 2013)

While Hamas and Hizbullah have vastly different origins, they share a common adversary: Israel. As the groups become increasingly relevant to US national security, the authors provide a thorough overview of their histories, ideologies, tactics and futures—combining scholarship and primary sources in their analysis.

(Survival 2013)

Book Description

A concise yet comprehensive overview of Hamas and Hezbollah.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2310 KB
• Print Length: 264 pages
• Publisher: JHUP (July 11, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008GRRWUU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,271 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Up-to-date, balanced coverage of this important topic May 9, 2013

By Peaceandprosperity

Format:Paperback

Berti and Gleis cover this challenging topic with great success in my view. This book is well balanced and up to date, making it essential reading for anyone looking to study about Hamas and Hezbollah.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work. September 6, 2012

By James Forest

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

For many years, one of the main assignments I have given students in my courses on terrorism and counterterrorism involves writing a comparative study of 2-3 terrorist groups. This is much harder than it sounds, because the kinds of information available about a particular group varies widely, and there are significant differences in ideology, leadership, finances, local operating environment, and so forth. In this book, Gleis and Berti offer an outstanding example of a comparative analysis, first by detailing the ideas, structure, strategies and tactics of each group, and then comparing and contrasting these details to illustrate their similarities and differences. Both groups have served as inspiration to many in the world of terrorism, and have shown a remarkable ability to adapt to changing circumstances throughout the years. Their violent actions have caused death and destruction that impacts families and governments far beyond Middle East. In this very well-written and accessible book, readers will find a variety of important insights that can help us find ways to confront these and other terrorist groups more effectively.

James Forest
Associate Professor
UMass Lowell

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably thorough analysis April 3, 2013

By Rob

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book represents an in-depth presentation and analysis of the relatively current structure of the two organizations. The presentation of the respective histories are clear and detailed, and lay out an incredibly complex development of each movement within the contexts of their respective internal and external influences. The analysis of each organization's ideologies, and how they are tempered by pragmatic political concerns, shows a thoughtful and balanced approach by the authors to bring this information to a lay audience.

This should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding the development of these originally extra-national movements in the Middle East, and how they have evolved into political organizations while maintaining their core world-views.