Abstract
For Juan J. Linz, the national form of the State can pose a major obstacle to the democratization process on the one hand and to harmonious inter-State relations on the other. Based on a theoretical scenario drawn from the work of Max Weber as well as from empirical data demonstrating the capacity of most citizens to simultaneously have a multiplicity of national identities, Linz emphasizes the exceptional nature of the nation-state and proposes a research agenda on new forms of State organization that are more inclined to take society’s demands into account.