The Politics of Militant Group Survival in the Middle East

"Szekely has written a spectacular book that explores the origins and consequences of the policy choices militant groups adopt. Examining the groups of the PLO, Amal, Hizbullah, and Hamas, Szekely argues that these groups must make strategic choices about winning support from domestic or international audiences. Groups that pursue an international strategy become more transnational in the long run. Those that adopt a domestic agenda enjoy local support, but their international influence is limited. Szekely presents a very convincing argument, with great attention to detail and a strong knowledgeable command of the nuances of her cases." (Amaney Jamal, Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics, Princeton University, USA)

It is based on field research in Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, and Syria, including interviews with members of a range of Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups, as well as politicians, UN staff, journalists, and members of the Jordanian and Israeli armies.This book compares the performances of four key non-state actors in the Arab-Israeli conflict ecosystem: the PLO, Hamas, Hizbullah, and Amal. It argues that it is not the assets a militant group has, but rather how it acquired them that matters in explaining the variation in these actors' abilities to militarily resist and politically recover from confrontations with far more powerful adversaries. Groups that rely on marketing campaigns to secure local support and regional patronage do far better than those that rely on coercion or even barter. The book develops a typology of organizations based on their foreign and domestic policies, which has interesting implications for other non-state actors, such as ISIS. It is based on field research in Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, and Syria, including interviews with members of a range of Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups, as well as politicians, UN staff, journalists, and members of the Jordanian and Israeli armies.