Research Article
Iran-Hezbollah
Alliance Reconsidered:
What Contributes to
the Survival of
State-Proxy Alliance?
Akbar Khan
1
Han Zhaoying
1
Abstract
States often build alliances with non-state actors to address their security needs
and pursue their strategic objectives, but such alliances are highly unreliable and
fraught with grave risks for the allying parties. The gradually increasing capabili-
ties of a non-state actor may embolden it to give preferences to its own geopo-
litical agenda, thereby adversely affecting the alliance. Thus, states and non-state
actors have mostly failed to maintain stable relationships due to diverging inter-
ests and opportunistic politics. Iran and Hezbollah have however maintained an
alliance, which has entered its fourth decade of organisational existence, and
this potentially hostile alliance is transforming the regional strategic landscape.
The longevity of their alliance is somewhat puzzling. This article contends that
the Iran-Hezbollah alliance has withstood collapse because Iran gives significant
autonomy to Hezbollah, and Hezbollah controls and optimizes its resources and
revenue which are at its disposal. Additionally, the chaotic regional structure
and their intersecting interests play a pivotal role, not only fostering this nexus
but also significantly potentiating the survival of their alliance while reducing the
likelihood of opportunistic dissociation.
Keywords
Iran, Hezbollah, survival, cooperation, alliance, terrorism
1
Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, Tianjin,
China.
Corresponding author:
Akbar Khan, Department of International Relations, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai
University, Tianjin 300350, China.
E-mail: akbarnku@hotmail.com
Journal of Asian Security
and International Affairs
7(1) 101–123, 2020
The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/2347797020906654
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