The theory of quagmire is an explanatory concept to suggest an answer to the question of why quagmire occurs in some civil wars, while not in others. Based on the specification of the term around the meaning of entrapment, theory sets out an analytical concept that helps to explain the quagmire conditions, that are based on the analyses of the interactions of belligerents and foreign backers. In doing so, the game-theoretic approach in examining actors' interactions in the strategic structure of the conflicts enables the theory to display how foreign backers and belligerents' preferences are shaped as a result of the interactions of them, thereby portraying the scenarios causing the quagmire.

The theory of quagmire is an explanatory concept to suggest an answer to the question of why quagmire occurs in some civil wars, while not in others. Based on the specification of the term around the meaning of entrapment, theory sets out an analytical concept that helps to explain the quagmire conditions, that are based on the analyses of the interactions of belligerents and foreign backers. In doing so, the game-theoretic approach in examining actors' interactions in the strategic structure of the conflicts enables the theory to display how foreign backers and belligerents' preferences are shaped as a result of the interactions of them, thereby portraying the scenarios causing the quagmire