Transatlantic Divergence in the MENA Region? The Question of Hezbollah

Although the EU’s designation of Hezbollah’s “military wing” as a terrorist organization represents a corrective convergence of EU and U.S. perceptions, transatlantic cooperation continues to suffer from divided approaches to the Lebanese group. This paper argues that the political influence of Hezbollah and damages to Lebanese and Middle East stability are increasing at a time when transatlantic partners are still torn between a “hard” strategy of containment and a “soft” strategy of conditionality. A common understanding of the geopolitical agenda of Hezbollah and its links with the Islamic Republic of Iran could constitute a first step in the definition of a coordinated transatlantic approach to this movement.