Escape Valve Theory

 The Escape Valve Theory is an explanation for the seemingly intractable religious wars that, throughout history, seem to characterize certain regions and time periods.

This is typically a phenomenon in cultures that are steeply divided by class, particularly economic class, with elite leaders who live lives of luxury and affluence.  These leaders are supported by an underclass that is economically impoverished, with no hope of upward mobility or improving their lives in any way.  This serf class is necessary for things like manual labor, agriculture, mining and so the ruling class need to keep them at a certain population level.  

However, if the serf class begins to rise to form an independently wealthy middle or merchant class, or if they become informed by education or the free exchange of ideas, then they become difficult to control.  The educated or middle class begins to question the authoritarian policies of their rulers and they begin to protest and rebel.  They refuse to accept their serf-like roles and if not checked, can rise to overthrow their rulers.

In order to maintain their position as rulers, the monarchists need to suppress this tendency to rebellion.  One primary tool for this is to create religious fervor among the serfs.  The feelings of rebellion can then be re-directed towards zealotry.  And the next step is to establish enemies of the religion so that rebellious serfs can focus their aggression and dissatisfaction toward that out-group instead of towards their own rulers.  

Religious zealotry becomes an escape valve for growing feelings of resentment.  If I am a young man in such a stratified society, I have no job, no responsibility, no possibility for finding a wife or supporting a family (since I have no income), and no prospects that this situation will ever change due to the social structure that is so vital to the ruling class.  Such an individual is building deep dissatisfaction with his situation, and this resentment will turn inward if it is allowed to build too far.

However, if this energy is turned toward violence against another group, then it will be released with minimal damage to the host society.  So these young men are indoctrinated with religious fervor and set loose against their neighbors.  It might be as a loosely organized paramilitary organization, like the terrorist of the middle east, or it might be as a more formal military that is given special privileges such as that in North Korea.  Or it might be in the form of suicide bombers and small splinter cells with very focused objectives.   

This is the safety valve for the intentionally unbalanced society.  It provides a mechanism for re-directing growing resentment, and if resentment grows too high, it may reduce that segment of the population that is most prone to resentment, disenfranchised young men.  If radicalized young men die in faction skirmishes against political enemies, so much the better.

The monarchies who propagate this social organization have no interest in achieving peace or modifying the situation in any why.  For them, it is acting perfectly.  Therefore, states like Egypt and Qatar don't have any incentive to resolve issues with terror organizations in or around their countries.  Other states, like Iran and Yemen, may actively support such organizations.

One of the major disruptions to this kind of state stratification is the existence of neighboring democratic states that can provide examples of other forms of community organization.  For example, North Korea must continually propagandize against their neighbors in South Korea for fear that their population will defect.  Similarly, many Arab states fear the presence of a successful and democratic Israel in their midst because it provides examples of how a society can be supportive of a prosperous middle class.