Oil and Democracy in the Middle East

One of the major discussions in the area of development theories hinges on the relationship between access to natural resources and the quality and degree of democracy in countries where the main source of revenues comes from extraction. Different viewpoints have been proposed by scholars in this respect. Considering that numerous variables are involved in vitalizing or preventing democracy, certainty is impossible on how natural resources affect democratic process and life. What matters is to answer this question depending on every society’s specific conditions. Oil as one of the most salient resources necessary for development and gaining access to acceptable criteria of industrialization displays its positive or negative impact on the phenomenon of democracy according to every society’s existing conditions.