I am a scholar of International Relations and Security Studies with a focus on the Middle East. I am currently a Lecturer in International Relations at the Faculty of Humanities and the Leiden Institute for Area Studies (LIAS) of Leiden University. Before joining Leiden, I have held research and teaching positions at the George Washington University, the University of Oxford, the American University of Beirut and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

More information about Marina Calculli

Research

The main theme of my research covers instances of cooperation and rivalry between state and non-state actors in the Middle East, with a focus on: 1) the legitimacy of the state, 2) the rise and role of non-state armed groups and 3) the moral justification of political violence. Aspects of this research have appeared in leading publication outlets, including collective works, journals and two monographs: one on counterterrorism strategies in Europe and the Middle East (published in 2017, co-authored with Francesco Strazzari); one on Hezbollah’s strategy of resisting international pressure, drawing from 8 years of archival and field research in Lebanon, Europe and the United States (published in 2018 in Italian and forthcoming in English). I am regularly invited to advise policy makers and speak in public events and news outlets on contemporary developments in the Middle East broadly conceived.

Publications