Functional Republic: A Historic Step Towards an Albanian Federation

The argument of this study is that the political unification of Albanians, in the form of a functional federation, is possible only on the basis of two fundamental premises: (1) the consolidation of a functional and economically developed state in Kosova, and (2) the deepening of Euro-Atlantic integration processes, which neutralize the geopolitical dimension of regional opposition. The study is based on theories of state-building, federalism and regional integration, as well as on the comparative experiences of Central Europe. The state-forming transformation of Kosova in the first decades after the war has involved the clash between two opposing political logics: a republican-democratic model oriented towards institutional consolidation and a clientelistic model that relies on patronage, particularism and the capture of public resources. This clash produces profound implications for national security, regional stability and the long-term perspective of the Albanian nation. In this context, the narrative about the old political establishment's interactions with destabilizing actors—Serbia, Russia, and specific segments within the EU—should be understood not as a genuine empirical fact, but as a structural risk present in the political architecture of the Western Balkans.