It is against the backdrop of an inadequate application of the preceding suppositions in ethiopian ethnic federalism that this book may be comprehended p. Ethnic federalism has been exploited to plant division among ethnic groups so as to institutionalize and facilitate rule by the tplf and other politically affiliated groups, representing a small proportion of the population. Pdf ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and restructured the regions along ethnic lines as soon as the. Pdf weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia haymi. Well, its a funny thing to define federalism because it is something that defines the constitutional system. Ethnic federalism is a federal system of national government in which the federated units are defined according to ethnicity. This type of federation is identified above all with the governance of meles zenawi from the 1990s in ethiopia, where it has sometimes been known as zenawism. Unity v diversity ethiopias ethnic federalism is being. This immediately raises a number of the complexities that beset this subject and that mechanistic discussions of it tend to ignore or obscure. Ethnic federalism institutionalized ethnic groups as fundamental constituents of the state. Usa, frg, multiethnic switzerland, presentday russia and multinational forms former. Weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia ijhssi. Now that the ethnic federal experiment is more than a decade old, it is possible to make a tentative evaluation of its performance.
Can ethnic federalism help to manage ethnic conflicts and accommodate national diversity. Actors, power and mobilization under ethnic federalism, e. However, daring decision has already been made in 1995 in ethiopia adopting this approach as a solution to the longstanding ethnic problems of the country. Actors, power and mobiliza tion under ethnic federalism, is made up of a laconic. Taking everything into account, the system of ethnic federalism applied in ethiopia for the past 20 years and more by the narrow clique is bankrupted now. For ethnonational rebel groups like the onlf ogaden. Related terms are multi ethnic federalism and ethnofederalism. Federalism and ethnic conflict regulation in india and pakistan. For amhara and national elites, ethnic federalism impedes a strong, unitary nationstate. It is hardly surprising that their minorities broke free when the opportunity arose. View comparative federalism research papers on academia.
Concepts and theories 25 of treaties and the coining of money is independent of the government of the associated states, and, on the other hand, state governments which in certain matters are, in their turn, independent of the general government. It is the aim of this paper to juxtapose the benefits and the dangers of ethnic federalism as it is currently practiced in ethiopia. Draft ethiopia ethnic federalism university of chicago law. Isajiw university of toronto paper presented at joint canadaunited states conference on themeasurement of ethnicity, ottawa, ontario, canada, april 2, 1992. Yet people disagree as to whether it is a practical policy or an underlying principle. This is similar to canadian model of political organization.
It established them as social categories sharply distinct from the overarching category of citizenship. While federalism speaks to local control and popular sovereignty, the. Ethnic federali sm is a feder al system of national government in which th e federat ed units are defined according t o ethnici ty. Theoretically, ethnic federalism endorses the principle of a voluntary union and it is therefore a positive factor for the current system. Dr bekalu atnafu taye is assistant professor at kotebe metropolitan university, addis ababa, ethiopia. Multiethnic multinational federalism in plural societies. To be sure, article 39 14, under the title the rights of nations, nationalities and peoples, of the 1991 consti. Now, ethiopia is a country with 27 years history of ethnic federalism and a living example to the adage that it is not identities that create territories but territories that create identities. The impact of the inclusion of secession clause in the. I develop this proposal more formally here, showing how the definition of federalism can be derived from first principles within the context of a methodological and conceptual analysis. The current regime in ethiopia adopted ethnic federalism and redesigned the country along ethnic lines as soon as it took political power in 1991. Pdf one of the core principles instituted by the post1991 government in ethiopia that took power after a successful armed struggle was. This concluded by positing a suggestion for a revised understanding of the federal concept.
Aalborg universitet restructuring state and society ethnic. Constitution, ethnic federalism and article 39 of the constitution that awarded the selfrule. In spite of all the criticism and skepticism, the ethiopian government claims it is committed to fully. Being one of the most diverse nations in the world, ethiopia is not an exception to be free from ethnic conflicts due to its weak political structures and mal governance. From this point of view it describes the main types of modern federal state. In this short essay, i approach the question of ethnic federalism in ethiopia from yet another perspective. Perceptions of ethnic federalism and the ethiopian diaspora. Perceptions of ethnic federalism and the ethiopian diaspora community in the us by kassaw tafere merie msw, arizona state university, 2015 mbl, university of south africa, 2011 ba, addis ababa university, 1994 dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy public policy and administration. Jan 23, 2019 territorial federalism might have been a viable path in 1991, long before ethnic federalism took root. Ethnic federalism and its discontents, african report no. Can ethnic federalism help to manage ethnic conflicts and. Federalism and ethnic conflict regulation in india and.
Ethnic federalism and its discontents crisis group. The developmental state and ethnic federalism in ethiopia manifestation of selfrule and local autonomy. Federalism is a means of ensuring peace, stability and mutual accommodation in countries that have territorially concentrated differences of identity, ethnicity, religion or language. The incumbent regime, however, has been attempting to maintain the integrity of ethiopian state on the basis of multi ethnic federalism, which anomalously extended the right of nations, nationalities and peoples of the country up to secession. That is, in one system there will be a mixture of two governments state government with central government.
Federalism, definition, meaning, concept, sovereignty, federal union. In order to discuss federalism at a theoretical level at least, it is necessary to dene it. Federalism and the constitution download federalism and the constitution ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. The first ones are the normative federalist ideologies which often 4 see. Click download or read online button to federalism and the constitution book pdf for free now. Unity v diversity ethiopias ethnic federalism is being tested. Federalism and the challenge for human and civil rights.
The eprdfs ethnic policy has empowered some groups but has not been accompanied by dialogue and reconciliation. Ethnonational groups are, thus, bestowed with the right to selfadministration as well as the opportunities to influence central policies. The case of ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia journal of. Federalism is a concept considered in political science as a classical form of government, especially when viewed next to the unitary form. Violence between ethnic groups has put the country on edge. In this chapter, we focus on this form of powersharing. Prepared under the sponsorship of the justice and legal system research institute. Federalism overview in the pr eviou s chapter, we noted that v ertical divi sion of power among different levels of government is one of the major forms of powersharing in modern democr acies. Even for distinct schools of thoughts, federalism mean different. Download pdf federalism and the constitution free online. Challenges and opportunities abstract the study analyses the role of federalism in solving the national and ethnic conflicts. In fact, the problem is sufciently complex that no mere denition will sufce. Ethnic federalism has been exploited to plant division among ethnic groups so as to institutionalize and facilitate rule by the tplf and other politically affiliated groups. German federalism in historical perspective maiken umbach 1 2 federal habits.
Thus, one also may find a definition according to which federalism in its broadest sense marks a multilayer or pluralistic concept of social and political life. Federalism and the challenge for human and civil rights john valery white1 devolution of governmental power to subnational constitutional entities is a growing trend operating in tension with the other major trends in international law and policy, human rights and globalization. Furthermore, ethnic federalism has failed to resolve the national question. The case of ethnicbased federalism in ethiopia article pdf available october 2008 with 20,512 reads how we measure reads. Hence, ethnic federalism was installed voluntarily after the overthrow.
The history of federalism stems from the formation of confederations that sought to give more powers to their central governments. The model and making of ethnic federalism in ethiopia diva portal. Since 1991, ethiopia has gone further than any other country in using ethnicity as the fundamental organizing principle of a federal system of government. Pdf the developmental state and ethnic federalism in. How far federalism, in particular ethnic federalism practically solves problem of multiethnicity is yet to be seen. Diffenent modelsdifferent challenges advantagesdisadvantages by dr. Related terms are mu lti ethnic federa lism and ethnofederalism this type of federation is identified above all with the governance of meles zenawi from the 1990s in ethiopia, where it has sometimes been known as zenawism. Erato kozakoumarcoullis former minister of foreign affairs at the roundtable discussion organized by the european. John mcgarry and brendan oleary, the political regulation of national and ethnic conflict, parliamentary affairs,vol. Weaknesses of ethnic federalism in ethiopia siraw megibaru temesgen abstract.
Tesfaye habisso is a former ethiopian ambassodor to south africa. Federalism is debatable not only in practice but also at theoretical levels. Sign up to our free daily newsletter, the economist today. Territorial federalism might have been a viable path in 1991, long before ethnic federalism took root. Federalism, especially in large or diverse countries, can also improve service delivery and democratic resilience, ensure decisions are made at. All of the communist and postcolonial federations that broke apart. Ethiopia is an ancient country with a number of peculiarities. Published in challenges of measuring an ethnic world. This chapter aims at providing a general background about the politics of. Cooperative federalism, 193280 cooperative federalism characterized by compliance with and increasing acquiescence in federallydefined and funded, coproduced programs. And yet this pioneering experiment in ethnic federalism has been largely ignored in the growing literature on democratization and ethnicity in africa and on the accommodation of ethnic diversity in democratic states. Federalism, by allowing power to be at once divided and coordinated, enables respect for different identities, accommodation, multicultural co. A means for managing or a triggering factor for ethnic conflicts in ethiopia.
Biblical thought is federal from the latin foedus, covenant from first to lastfrom gods covenant with noah establishing the biblical equivalent of what philosophers were later to term natural law to the jews reaffirmation of the sinai covenant under the leadership. Except where otherwise noted content on this site is licensed under a creative commons 2. The aim of this article is to examine the prevalence of ethnic conflict in ethiopia and to. Pdf ethnicbased federalism and ethnicity in ethiopia. Ethiopias invention of ethnicbased federalism had been the center for academic and political debates for the past two decades. New perspectives in german studies series standing order isbn 0333924304 outside north america only you can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. It is impossible to have an appropriate process of nationbuilding once you have institutionalized ethnic schism on the authority of pretentious federalism. Biblical thought is federal from the latin foedus, covenant from first to lastfrom gods covenant with noah establishing the biblical equivalent of what philosophers were later to term natural law to the jews reaffirmation of the sinai covenant under the leadership of. This is more so in the cases of ethnic federations where functionality is also of vital importance for the viability and sustainability of the federal arrangement.
The eprdfs ethnic federalism has not dampened con flict, but rather. Perceptions of ethnic federalism and the ethiopian. The existing ethnic federal arrangement of eprdf is devised with the aim to accommodate the interests of distinct ethnic groups in ethiopia. In india, we can describe federalism as a distribution of authority around local, national, and state governments. Coercive, cooperative, and collaborative federalism in. Rather than asking whether ethnic federalism is right for.
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