Terrorism and liberation movements in the Middle East: The case studies of FLN, Hezbollah and Hamas

Terrorism and liberation have always been controversial concepts. Different state and non-state actors have different interpretations of the two concepts. This study takes the liberation/terrorism designation of the National Liberation Front (French: FLN) in Algeria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Palestine as case studies by focusing on how and why specific state-actors view them as liberation groups or terrorist organizations. The researcher applies the Theory of Just War, the National Liberation Theory and Revolutionary Terrorism (urban and psychological) throughout the research. Both state and non-state actors at the international and regional levels of analysis have been used to investigate how and why specific state actors view the three groups as terrorist or legitimate liberation actors, and the impact that the Cold War and the Arab Spring had on their designation. The research aims to answer how and why states view the FLN, Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist or liberation groups and the impact of this designation on them. Hezbollah and Hamas were impacted the most by the Arab Spring while the FLN made use of the politics of the Cold War to its benefit. Hamas suffered the most because of its terrorist designation compared to the FLN and Hezbollah, due to the politics of the Arab Spring. The researcher applies a qualitative theory-oriented method throughout the study by using a comparative and case-studies approach, which includes consulting primary and secondary resources and literature on the issue and applying the theories of liberation/war and terrorism. The researcher concludes that the designation of the three groups by relevant state actors as liberatory or terrorist impacted their behavior on the ground and is unlikely to change in the short-term. The researcher suggests Finlay's proposed theory of non-terrorist resistance as a third way out of the terrorism/liberation controversiality. Keywords: Liberation, Terrorism, Middle East, FLN, Hezbollah, Hamas.