Countering the pessimistic predictions of the decline and weakening of the state and the eclipse of its sovereignty, the author of this essay argues that both are present and strong, albeit transformed, with new roles and new functions, adapted to the demands of a world that is constantly changing, rapidly and unpredictably. In this transitional period, the state is transformed into a local or regional factor of an impersonal, invisible, labyrinthine global network of international - tense and sometimes warring - relations of state sovereignty, international organizations, and markets. Its future may still seem uncertain, but all signs indicate that, for the time being, it is holding strong, living and reigning, and dominating the world, being both a victim and a contributor to globalization.