Multinational federalism: challenges, shortcomings and promises

ABSTRACT Democratic multinational federalism is not to be conceived as panacea but as a concrete way of achieving three key objectives that are essential for the management of conflicts, namely (1) decoupling and distinguish the notions of ‘nation’ and ‘state’, (2) strengthening a sense of identity through the implementation of politics of recognition and (3) developing a better equilibrium between self-rule and shared rule through the implementation of a multiplicity of collaborative initiatives while valuing the principle of political autonomy. Multinational federalism can lead the way in developing policy instruments that put limits to the domination of the majority nation over other national groups. To the extent that minority nations are treated fairly, one would expect that state stability would be greatly augmented and that constitutional loyalty would gain prominence. Self-restraint on the part of the majority nation is more a guarantee of success than the imposition of norms.