The nation-state as a structural actor of democratic metamorphosis

This study examines the return of the nation-state as a structural actor in the contemporary transformation of democracy. Starting from the critique of the post-sovereignty paradigm of the 1990s—which predicted the progressive erosion of state sovereignty in the face of globalization and multi-level governance—the paper argues that developments of the last decade have shown the analytical limits of this model. The financial crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, the return of war in Europe, and geopolitical rivalry between great powers have restored the nation-state as a central node of security, political economy, and democratic legitimacy. The paper also treats the case of Albania and Kosova as a micro-laboratory of this democratic metamorphosis, where the tensions between limited sovereignty, institutional legitimacy, and geopolitical pressure appear in a condensed manner. The analysis argues that without a functional state and real capacities for action, democracy risks being reduced to a formal procedure, while the strengthening of the state—if it remains within the democratic framework—can serve as a prerequisite for institutional resilience. In conclusion, the study suggests that the return of the nation-state should not be interpreted as a historical regression, but as a sign of an ontological metamorphosis of democracy in the post-neoliberal order. In this process, the nation-state appears as a political space where sovereignty, security and democratic representation are negotiated, while for the Albanian space the reconfiguration of state capacities and their functional integration appear as key factors for democratic stability and geopolitical role in Southeast Europe.