Hezbollah and Hammas.  Most Americans know them only as two more terrorist organizations, generally appearing in our news when they are either on the sending end of rockets aimed at Israeli towns, or on the receiving end of Israeli artillery.  

There's also been some gasping in shock that both of these radical organizations have recently been big winners in democratic elections.  The tendency from this side of the Atlantic is to look on the Hammas victory in the Palestinian territories and Hezbollah's sizeable minority presence in the Lebanese government as revolting surprises (i.e. "we give these people democracy, and look what they do with it!").  

But there's more to the victories of both groups than throwing bombs, and there may be lessons applicable far outside the Middle East.