A Review of the Efficiency of Relative limitations Theory of Ted Gurr in Analyzing the Phenomenon of Terrorism in the Middle East

Subject Areas :

Seyed Abbas Hashemi ¹ , Hamid Jan nesar ² , Fatemeh Karbalae Ahmad ³

1 - عضو هیات علمی گروه علوم سیاسی دانشگاه بین المللی امام خمینی
2 - کارشناس ارشد روابط بین الملل دانشگاه بین المللی امام خمینی
3 - کارشناس ارشد علوم سیاسی دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تهران مرکز

Received: 2015-08-04 Accepted : 2015-08-04 Published : 2015-08-01

Keywords: Terrorism, the Middle East, Ted Gurr, Relative social deprivation, extra-regional factors,

Abstract :

Abstract: The relative deprivation theory of Ted Gurr was introduced to explain the conditions in which some citizens (or groups) avail themselves facilities, privileges and advantages more than others which consequently lead to deprivation and exclusion of second group. The emergence of the feeling of deprivation is a modern phenomenon originating from changes and fundamental developments of human societies which existed more in societies with traditional structure which of course this feeling gets aggravated once the people compare themselves with their counterparts in the society. On the whole Ted Gurr in his theory claims that disappointment and frustration of the people in achieving their goals leads to unconventional behavior by them. In the same manner this continued dissatisfaction prepares the ground and motivation for mass violence which terrorism is the sign of it. In recent years the Middle East is one of the strategic regions and at the same time the center of crisis and hotbed of growth and emergence of terrorism. The present article by making use of Ted Gurr’s theory as its theoretical framework tries to examine the efficiency of this theory in explaining and analyzing the phenomenon of terrorism in the Middle East. The finding of the study shows that the emergence and growth of terrorism in the Middle East region is not merely due to relative deprivation. In fact this factor is one of the factors which along with other factors i.e. inter-regional and extra-regional; leads to the growth of terrorism.