Marika Theros
Biographic Data
| ID | 1068885 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Marika Theros |
| GIVEN NAMES | Marika |
| FAMILY NAME | Theros |
| SIGNATURE | THEROS M |
| AFFILIATIONS | London School of Economics and Political Science |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4186-7690 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Sustaining the post-agreement peace – Galkaio, Somalia
This article examines the implementation and evolution of the 2017 peace agreement in Galkaio, a divided town in central Somalia marking the border of clan and state boundaries. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and a trans-scalar peacebuilding framework, the study explores how peace has been sustained through adaptive mediation, local political agency, and the revival of customary law (xeer), rather than formal institutions or international oversig…
How to lose a war
Illusions of control
Illusions of control: dilemmas in managing U.S. proxy forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. By Erica L Gaston. New York: Columbia University Press. 2024. 424pp. £117.00. Isbn978 0 23121 012 6. Available as e-book
Outspoken
Journal Article Outspoken: my fight for freedom and human rights in Afghanistan Get access Outspoken: my fight for freedom and human rights in Afghanistan. By Sima Samar with Sally Armstrong. Toronto: Random House Canada. 2024. 344pp. £18.99. Isbn978 1 03900 707 9. Available as e-book. Marika Theros Marika Theros London School of Economics, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 1…
Natural bedfellows
Corruption remains a persistent feature in most transitional and fragile countries, raising questions around the processes and outcomes of international development and economic reforms. In the case of Afghanistan, conventional wisdom tends to blame domestic factors, including corruption, in the collapse of the internationally-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, while largely neglecting the co-constitutive nexus between economic reconstructio…
Civic ecosystems and social innovation
This article introduces civic ecosystems as a concept and set of practical approaches to social innovation. It draws on several examples of civic ecosystems in action to highlight their main characteristics and to provide insights and lessons for applying ecosystem approaches to social innovation in practice. The discussion of civic ecosystems is placed in the broader context of the rise of ecosystem thinking among social change practitioners, re…
Knowledge, power and the failure of US peacemaking in Afghanistan 2018-21
The power of narrative and norm entrepreneurship in shaping policy and practice is increasingly appreciated in the study of international relations but rarely investigated in the context of international peacemaking and mediation. Applying constructivist analyses and drawing on empirical evidence from US diplomacy in Afghanistan between 2018 and 2021, this article demonstrates how emergent western policy discourses, knowledge production, and the …
Galkaio, Somalia
A better understanding of ‘local’ agreements vis-a-vis national reconciliation processes is a strong current in policy and academic circles, with Somalia acknowledged as a relevant context with a rich history of such processes. This article examines a local agreement reached in Galkaio, a divided city where renewed violence had national implications around the formation of a new Federal system. It explores the role of external mediators, and stra…
Local agreements - an introduction to the special issue
This article introduces a Peacebuilding special issue on local agreements in intractable conflicts. By ‘local’, we refer to any type of agreement that covers a geographical area less than the entire national territory although the issues and actors may be national, regional, international as well as local. Our main finding is that local agreements are a pervasive feature of contemporary conflict, owing to the fragmented decentred character of con…
Engendering civicness in the Syrian peacemaking process
This article explores the evolution, role and impact of the Civil Society Support Room (CSSR), the first formal mechanism to involve civil society in the UN-led political talks for Syria. Through surveys, focus groups and interviews, it examines how and whether the CSSR influenced the peace process. Importantly, it also illustrates how the CSSR transformed the participants and third-party mediators themselves, suggesting that it shapes the confli…
Reimagining civil society in conflict
What is the meaning and role of civil society in Afghanistan? And what contribution could civil society actors make to promoting peace and political reform? Drawing on a research and dialogue project conducted in 2009–2012, this article explores local understandings and practices of civil society in Afghanistan, and examines their relationship to security and social change. It argues that studying civil society can help shed light on the changing…
Political functions of impunity in the war on terror
The prevalence and persistence of impunity for human rights violations in the war on terror have attracted significant interest from scholars and practitioners. Insufficient attention, however, has been paid to the ways in which impunity might be shaping key objectives and practices of the war on terror and enabling or constraining their pursuit in war zones. Drawing on insights from security cultures theory and analysis of empirical evidence fro…
Abuse of power and conflict persistence in Afghanistan
The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan presents a paradox. While international efforts to stabilise the country have been steadily increasing since 2001, the same period has been marked by a return to violence and constant escalation of the conflict. The Taliban's growing strength is often attributed to the weakness of the Afghan state in extending authority and delivering public goods. Less attention has been paid to the ways in which power and aut…
Natural bedfellows
Corruption remains a persistent feature in most transitional and fragile countries, raising questions around the processes and outcomes of international development and economic reforms. In the case of Afghanistan, conventional wisdom tends to blame domestic factors, including corruption, in the collapse of the internationally-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, while largely neglecting the co-constitutive nexus between economic reconstructio…
Engendering civicness in the Syrian peacemaking process
This article explores the evolution, role and impact of the Civil Society Support Room (CSSR), the first formal mechanism to involve civil society in the UN-led political talks for Syria. Through surveys, focus groups and interviews, it examines how and whether the CSSR influenced the peace process. Importantly, it also illustrates how the CSSR transformed the participants and third-party mediators themselves, suggesting that it shapes the confli…
Knowledge, power and the failure of US peacemaking in Afghanistan 2018-21
The power of narrative and norm entrepreneurship in shaping policy and practice is increasingly appreciated in the study of international relations but rarely investigated in the context of international peacemaking and mediation. Applying constructivist analyses and drawing on empirical evidence from US diplomacy in Afghanistan between 2018 and 2021, this article demonstrates how emergent western policy discourses, knowledge production, and the …
Local agreements - an introduction to the special issue
This article introduces a Peacebuilding special issue on local agreements in intractable conflicts. By ‘local’, we refer to any type of agreement that covers a geographical area less than the entire national territory although the issues and actors may be national, regional, international as well as local. Our main finding is that local agreements are a pervasive feature of contemporary conflict, owing to the fragmented decentred character of con…
Reimagining civil society in conflict
What is the meaning and role of civil society in Afghanistan? And what contribution could civil society actors make to promoting peace and political reform? Drawing on a research and dialogue project conducted in 2009–2012, this article explores local understandings and practices of civil society in Afghanistan, and examines their relationship to security and social change. It argues that studying civil society can help shed light on the changing…
Political functions of impunity in the war on terror
The prevalence and persistence of impunity for human rights violations in the war on terror have attracted significant interest from scholars and practitioners. Insufficient attention, however, has been paid to the ways in which impunity might be shaping key objectives and practices of the war on terror and enabling or constraining their pursuit in war zones. Drawing on insights from security cultures theory and analysis of empirical evidence fro…
Abuse of power and conflict persistence in Afghanistan
The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan presents a paradox. While international efforts to stabilise the country have been steadily increasing since 2001, the same period has been marked by a return to violence and constant escalation of the conflict. The Taliban's growing strength is often attributed to the weakness of the Afghan state in extending authority and delivering public goods. Less attention has been paid to the ways in which power and aut…
Abuse of power and conflict persistence in Afghanistan
The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan presents a paradox. While international efforts to stabilise the country have been steadily increasing since 2001, the same period has been marked by a return to violence and constant escalation of the conflict. The Taliban's growing strength is often attributed to the weakness of the Afghan state in extending authority and delivering public goods. Less attention has been paid to the ways in which power and aut…
Reimagining civil society in conflict
What is the meaning and role of civil society in Afghanistan? And what contribution could civil society actors make to promoting peace and political reform? Drawing on a research and dialogue project conducted in 2009–2012, this article explores local understandings and practices of civil society in Afghanistan, and examines their relationship to security and social change. It argues that studying civil society can help shed light on the changing…
Political functions of impunity in the war on terror
The prevalence and persistence of impunity for human rights violations in the war on terror have attracted significant interest from scholars and practitioners. Insufficient attention, however, has been paid to the ways in which impunity might be shaping key objectives and practices of the war on terror and enabling or constraining their pursuit in war zones. Drawing on insights from security cultures theory and analysis of empirical evidence fro…
Galkaio, Somalia
A better understanding of ‘local’ agreements vis-a-vis national reconciliation processes is a strong current in policy and academic circles, with Somalia acknowledged as a relevant context with a rich history of such processes. This article examines a local agreement reached in Galkaio, a divided city where renewed violence had national implications around the formation of a new Federal system. It explores the role of external mediators, and stra…
Local agreements - an introduction to the special issue
This article introduces a Peacebuilding special issue on local agreements in intractable conflicts. By ‘local’, we refer to any type of agreement that covers a geographical area less than the entire national territory although the issues and actors may be national, regional, international as well as local. Our main finding is that local agreements are a pervasive feature of contemporary conflict, owing to the fragmented decentred character of con…
Engendering civicness in the Syrian peacemaking process
This article explores the evolution, role and impact of the Civil Society Support Room (CSSR), the first formal mechanism to involve civil society in the UN-led political talks for Syria. Through surveys, focus groups and interviews, it examines how and whether the CSSR influenced the peace process. Importantly, it also illustrates how the CSSR transformed the participants and third-party mediators themselves, suggesting that it shapes the confli…
Civic ecosystems and social innovation
This article introduces civic ecosystems as a concept and set of practical approaches to social innovation. It draws on several examples of civic ecosystems in action to highlight their main characteristics and to provide insights and lessons for applying ecosystem approaches to social innovation in practice. The discussion of civic ecosystems is placed in the broader context of the rise of ecosystem thinking among social change practitioners, re…
Knowledge, power and the failure of US peacemaking in Afghanistan 2018-21
The power of narrative and norm entrepreneurship in shaping policy and practice is increasingly appreciated in the study of international relations but rarely investigated in the context of international peacemaking and mediation. Applying constructivist analyses and drawing on empirical evidence from US diplomacy in Afghanistan between 2018 and 2021, this article demonstrates how emergent western policy discourses, knowledge production, and the …
Outspoken
Journal Article Outspoken: my fight for freedom and human rights in Afghanistan Get access Outspoken: my fight for freedom and human rights in Afghanistan. By Sima Samar with Sally Armstrong. Toronto: Random House Canada. 2024. 344pp. £18.99. Isbn978 1 03900 707 9. Available as e-book. Marika Theros Marika Theros London School of Economics, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 1…
Natural bedfellows
Corruption remains a persistent feature in most transitional and fragile countries, raising questions around the processes and outcomes of international development and economic reforms. In the case of Afghanistan, conventional wisdom tends to blame domestic factors, including corruption, in the collapse of the internationally-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, while largely neglecting the co-constitutive nexus between economic reconstructio…
How to lose a war
Illusions of control
Illusions of control: dilemmas in managing U.S. proxy forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. By Erica L Gaston. New York: Columbia University Press. 2024. 424pp. £117.00. Isbn978 0 23121 012 6. Available as e-book
Sustaining the post-agreement peace – Galkaio, Somalia
This article examines the implementation and evolution of the 2017 peace agreement in Galkaio, a divided town in central Somalia marking the border of clan and state boundaries. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and a trans-scalar peacebuilding framework, the study explores how peace has been sustained through adaptive mediation, local political agency, and the revival of customary law (xeer), rather than formal institutions or international oversig…
Political science (11 works) · Law (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Peacebuilding and International Security (7 works) · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (6 works) · Economics (5 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Politics (5 works)