In the years prior to what became known as the Arab Spring, regional public opinion strongly favored Hezbollah due to its principled commitment to the liberation of Palestine. As popular upheavals swept through the Arab Middle East in 2011, this sentiment continued as the movement gave its support to the initial uprisings. However, as the protests reached Syria the image of Hezbollah as a champion of the oppressed shifted when it decided to side with the regime of Bashar al-Assad and thus raising the question of what it is that actually drives and determines the actions and policy decisions of Hezbollah. As such, this thesis focuses on the relationship between Hezbollah’s ideology and practice in the context of the Arab revolts of 2011 and beyond. It argues that Hezbollah is a deeply rational and pragmatic movement that when necessary does not hesitate to disregard its doctrinal principles in favor of its material interests. This relationship is analyzed using the Social Movement Theory known as ‘framing’ as well as a perspective on ideology influenced by materialism
