Liquid Territoriality and Al-Shabaab

Abstract

The text presents a contribution to the study of territoriality of violent non-state actors in areas of limited internal state power projection. It presents
the strategy of liquid territoriality as a survival strategy of the territorial
violent non-state actors, as well as a strategy to develop protostate
structures. It builds on three pillars – minimal opposition of (primarily
external) state security services, support from the local population, and the
ability to reflect the dynamic development of power distribution. This
strategy is later applied to Al-Shabaab. This application helps us to better
understand not only the territorial development of the movement but also
the limits of territorial control of violent non-state actors in general.