IRGC, Undoer of Seditions

Neil Joseph Smelser, renowned and contemporary American sociologist, is one of the intellectuals who has conducted several researches on the Theory of Collective Behavior and he has published some articles on this topic.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

Smelser believes some measures should take place with certain methods that they could encourage people towards a collective movement, for example, for a riot, a strike or creating a new phenomenon.

He believes six elements are necessary for a particular kind of collective behavior to emerge. He explains these six elements, saying at first, it is necessary for structural conduciveness, things that make or allow certain behaviors possible. Secondly, structural strain is necessary, something (inequality, injustice) must strain society. The third element is the generalized belief – explanation; it means those who are in charge of exerting pressure should do their jobs via the media in order that participants have to come to an understanding of what the problem is. The fourth element is the precipitating factors – spark to ignite the flame. The next element is the mobilization for action – people need to become organized. And the final element is operation of social control – how the authorities react (or don’t).

Smelser in this theory of behavior believes accelerating the economic issues is more important than other issues. He believes people should accept that such an issue exists and they should draw this conclusion that the establishment and rulers are unable to address their problems and they do not want their problems to be resolved. If hope still remains alive among people that the situation would improve and the problem would be resolved, then, nothing will happen. But if people lose their hopes, they can be encouraged and taken into the next stage.

When people step into the next step, protests should begin and at this point, the organizers need some factors for acceleration like death of a protester so that it arouses sentiments, collective wrath and public incitement. This trend continues till the time when the sixth stage happens where the ground for social confrontation gets ready. This American sociologist believes this process should continue very naturally in order that the targeted social movement happens.

Considering such a theory, we have witnessed that enemies have been doing their best for years to impose Smelser’s formula artificially and forcefully on Iranian people.

With what was explained about Smelser’s doctrine that one can give a primary form to a phenomenon and then manages it in order that it can move in the favorable destination, one can easily analyze the performance of some elements like the government in this framework.

Some of the decisions in the structure of the country especially in the executive branch can be linked intentionally or unintentionally to this theory.

Blocking the deposit accounts of people and refraining to return them to their owners has led to protests in recent years in the country. The presence of the banks in the forex market and their manipulation for increasing the price of dollar to 19,000 tomans which affected people’s earnings and caused 150 percent inflation, and increasing the price of gasoline from 1000 tomans to 3000 tomans per liter overnight can be evaluated as these sorts of events for materialization of Smelser’s theory.

Regarding the policies for induction of artificial riots, the future usually determines the role of accelerator factors in the Smelser’s formula. That Western formulas have not achieved significant successes in Iran yet needs a depth analysis and evaluating Iranian nation’s cognitive maturity.

Of course from one aspect, one should know that a nation who has thwarted any plot under the framework of resistance doctrine for 41 years can present necessary counter-attack against enemies’ machinations by an insight and identifying enemies’ plots. And this is one of the properties of Iranian nation.

In line with this wise authority, this belief exists among Iranian nation that some of events and developments in the country and some big plots which are foiled cannot be analyzed materialistically.

The unique role of the IRGC in undoing all seditions is actually the role of God’s hand in the sleeves of pious children of the country, as the Supreme Leader says, “People who rely on materialistic analyses are unable to see God’s powerful hand in these events.”

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian