When borders fail: rethinking sovereignty and security in the Western Balkans

This article examines the historical transformation of sovereignty in the small states of the Western Balkans in a period marked by intensified interdependence and evolving security practices. Rather than treating sovereignty as a fixed legal principle, the study approaches it as a historically contingent concept shaped by post–Cold War state formation, international supervision, and contemporary geopolitical pressures. Situated within contemporary political historiography, the article treats sovereignty not as a normative endpoint, but as a historical process whose meaning has been continuously renegotiated across successive post–Cold War phases. Combining elements of conceptual history with qualitative document-based analysis, the article traces how sovereignty has been progressively reconfigured under conditions of European integration, collective security arrangements, and hybrid forms of conflict. The analysis demonstrates that in the Western Balkans sovereignty operates primarily as a functional and negotiated process rather than as an absolute attribute of statehood. While formal independence remains intact, effective authority is increasingly conditioned by economic dependence, institutional frameworks, and external security guarantees provided by the European Union and NATO. The article further argues that the changing nature of warfare—particularly cyber, informational, and digital threats—has shifted the locus of sovereignty from territorial control toward the management of information and critical infrastructure. Attention is also given to the human and moral dimensions of sovereignty, emphasizing the relationship between state authority, responsibility, and human security. The article concludes by conceptualizing the Western Balkans as a laboratory of “smart and shared sovereignty,” in which small states seek resilience and legitimacy through cooperation, regional integration, and adaptive governance within an increasingly fragmented international order.