Hezbollah is not merely a political faction within Lebanon's vast sectarian landscape. It embodies the understanding that resistance is an existential necessity—a vital act of self-preservation in the face of imperialism's relentless onslaught. In an interview in 2014, Sayyed Nasrallah said out that our understanding of Islam is not merely limited to customs and rituals, many follow Islamic rituals but support "Israel." For us resistance is in how we understand US and "Israel's" approach to encroach on oil and the resources if the region. Such is development in theory based on correct revolutionary practice. How is this different from Chavez or Castro?
It is not theoretically plausible for either Iran or Hezbollah to harbor an expansionist agenda. In light of the balance of forces and the fact that imperialism expands by destruction, their actions are defensive and rooted in the imperative to protect against imperialist encroachment rather than seeking territorial control. Hezbollah's primary focus has always been on defending Lebanon's sovereignty and supporting regional allies in resisting common threats.
The narrative of expansionism is a distortion propagated by imperialist powers to legitimize their own interventions and maintain dominance in the region. This portrayal obscures the reality that Iran and Hezbollah are reacting to, rather than initiating, geopolitical aggression.
It is worth recalling that imperialism functions as an exploitative force systematically dismantling the social, economic, and political fabric of nations. It is characterized by the relentless extraction of resources, the subjugation of labor, and the imposition of external control over sovereign states.
This exploitation involves the erosion of local economies through neoliberal policies, the enforcement of debt that chains nations to perpetual underdevelopment, and the manipulation of social and political divisions to maintain dominance. Imperialism thrives on the disintegration of indigenous economies and the cultural dislocation of communities, where entire populations are reduced to mere instruments in the service of global capital. Its destructive power lies in its ability to transform entire regions into zones of conflict and deprivation, ensuring the flow of wealth from the periphery to the core, while leaving behind a legacy of poverty, inequality, and social fragmentation. In essence, imperialism is an engine of accumulation by dispossession, perpetuating a global order where the prosperity of a few is built on the systematic exploitation and destruction of the many.