Shutting Hezbollah's "Construction Jihad"

By Matthew Levitt

On February 20, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Jihad al-Bina, Hizballah’s construction company in Lebanon, effectively shutting the terrorist group’s firm out of the international financial system. While the designation will not take effect at the United Nations—sanctions under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 only target elements associated with al-Qaeda or the Taliban, to the exclusion of any other terrorist groups—international lenders and donors, including financial institutions, NGOs, and governments, are unlikely to want to assume the reputational risk of working to rebuild Lebanon in partnership with Hizballah instead of the Lebanese government. Moreover—and contrary to conventional wisdom—the designation presents a rare public diplomacy opportunity in the battle of ideas in the war on terror.

The full article can be found here.

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