Paper short abstract:

The paper shows how international dynamics and actors have played a constitutive role in the formation and crisis of the Somali state, in its “internal” armed conflict, and in diverse statehood trajectories that have emerged on the ground in the past two decades.

Paper long abstract:

Clanism and state failure narratives are often used to explain armed conflict in Somalia. While acknowledging that they may have certain explanatory virtues, this article shows their analytical, conceptual and empirical flaws. In reviewing the critical literature, this article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the Somali state crisis: it shows how international dynamics and actors have played a constitutive role in the formation and crisis of the Somali state, in its "internal" armed conflict, and in diverse statehood trajectories that have emerged on the ground in the past two decades.