Faith as Weapon: Iran's Theocratic Populism and the Making of the Sectarian Control in Lebanon

Religion's influence has grown into central instrument of politics within contemporary foreign policy, This is especially true in settings where ideological ties spread far more readily than military force. In the Middle East, religious narratives now serve not only to shore up domestic authority but also to extend influence across borders. The Islamic Republic of Iran pursues the externalization of its theocratic populist ideology by means of religious soft power and proxy politics. This paper maintains that religion gains real power to reshape political structures in fragile democratic settings precisely when channeled through populist narratives and non-state proxies. The notion of theocratic populism offers key analytical lens through which to grasp this approach. Iran casts itself as the protector of the oppressed (mustazafin) in the face of Western imperialism and local political elites alike. In doing so, it builds a transnational populist narrative deeply rooted in Shia theology. That same vision found expression in the 1979 revolutionary slogan "Neither East nor West, but the Islamic Republic," a clear rejection of both capitalist Western and communist Eastern alignments. In Lebanon, Hezbollah brings this narrative to life on the ground. Operating as a religious-political proxy, it converts Iranian ideological tenets into tangible local legitimacy by means of welfare services, religious schooling, media outlets, and powerful symbols of resistance discourse. Lebanon stands out as a pivotal case for assessing the democratic consequences of such a strategy. Hezbollah began as resistance movement that responded directly to Shia communal marginalization and foreign occupation. Over time, however, its deep political integration has fostered entrenched sectarian governance. The group's dual nature —active in elections yet retaining armed capabilities— undermines democratic accountability, pluralism, and state sovereignty. Religious legitimacy steadily displaces institutional authority, thereby representation and ideological control. The study relies on qualitative discourse analysis of speeches delivered by Iranian and Hezbollah leaders, along with official publications and media material. it draws further support from existing scholarship on soft power, populism and sectarian dynamics. Through this lens, the research traces the ways religious narratives are crafted, spread, and absorbed within Shia communications, ultimately turning political loyalty into firm ideological commitment. The paper reveals that Iran's deployment of theocratic populism via Hezbollah forms a calculated foreign policy that subverts democratic governance absent any overt coercion. Embedding religious authority directly into political process, the model gradually dismantles democratic norms from inside. It strengthens sectarian divisions and curtails pluralism. In this way, the analysis highlights how religious soft power, channeled through proxy actors, yields structurally repressive effects while cloaked in the appearance of political representation.