Same battle, new tactics

Hezbollah’s new political manifesto has taken a long time to materialize. As long ago as October 2002, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, said the party was working on an update of their original “Open Letter” of February 1985, which documented Hezbollah’s ideology and ambitions. “Much has happened and much has changed between 1985 and now [2002],” Qassem said. “Our basic principles remain the same because they are at the heart of our movement, but many other positions have changed due to the evolving circumstances around us.” The update was put on hold for several years, however, before being recently revived. The outcome was the 32-page document that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, unveiled at a press conference in November. The new political manifesto is the work of an organization that has profoundly altered the manner of its public discourse, even if its core ideological principles remain unchanged. If the