Proposed reasons for the relative absence of liberal democracy in the Middle East are diverse, from the long history of imperial rule by the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France and the contemporary political and military intervention by the United States, all of which have been blamed for preferring authoritarian regimes because this simplifies the business environment, while enriching the governing elite and the companies of the imperial countries. This is a social and economic justice explanation.[citation needed] Other explanations include the problem that most of the states in the region are rentier states, which experience the theorized resource curse.Several orientalist scholars have attempted to explain the absence of democracy in the region. While some orientalists argue that democracy is incompatible with Islamic culture and values,others put forward the development in the conceptualization of political practices. There seems also lack of a very clear cut between religionand the state, which has in greater terms caused the lack of clear checks and balances between the two.