Confederation

A Confederation is a political union in which multiple sovereign states are united to achieve common political goals and economic goal.s

• Context:
  • It can (typically) form as a response to a need for collective action among sovereign states while maintaining state autonomy.
  • It can (often) be established to address specific issues like collective defense, trade agreements, or foreign relations.
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  • It can range from being a loose association of independent states (similar to an Intergovernmental Organization) to a more structured union resembling a Federal System.
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  • It can experience a balance-of-power issue, where member states may resist transferring too much authority to a central body, leading to inefficiencies.
  • It can transition into a Federal State if stronger central governance is required, as seen in historical cases like the Articles of Confederation evolving into the United States Constitution.
  • It can operate with a unicameral legislature where member state representatives deliberate on collective decisions.
  • It can require unanimous consent among member states for major decisions, resulting in a slower decision-making process compared to majority-rule systems.
  • It can (often) provide a right to secession, allowing members to exit the confederation if their autonomy is perceived to be at risk.
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• Example(s):
  • Historic Confederations, such as:
    • Iroquois Confederacy (1450-1779) of Native American tribes in the northeastern United States, governed by the principles of the Great Law of Peace.
    • Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) of the original thirteen American colonies, featuring a weak central government with limited powers.
    • Old Swiss Confederacy (1291-1848) of Swiss cantons in Central Europe, which transitioned into a modern federal state.
    • German Confederation (1815-1866) of German states after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, to coordinate political and economic policies.
  • Short-Lived Confederations, such as:
    • Confederate States of America (1861-1865) of Southern U.S. states, formed during the American Civil War and dissolved after defeat.
    • Peru-Bolivian Confederation (1836-1839) in South America, created to strengthen political unity but dissolved due to regional opposition.
    • Central American Federation (1823-1841) of Central American states formed after independence from Spain, later dissolved due to internal conflict.
    • Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006) as a loose confederation of former Yugoslav republics, dissolved when Montenegro gained independence.
  • Modern Confederations, such as:
    • European Union (1951-present): A political and economic confederation that began as the European Coal and Steel Community.
    • Commonwealth of Independent States (1991-present): A regional organization of former Soviet republics formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
    • Union State of Russia and Belarus (1999-present): A confederation between Russia and Belarus to deepen political and economic integration.
    • Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (2011-present): A regional bloc aimed at promoting Latin American and Caribbean integration.
  • Proto-Confederations and Tribal Alliances, such as:
    • Achaean League (280 BCE-146 BCE): A confederation of Greek city-states in the Hellenistic period for mutual defense and shared governance.
    • Delian League (478 BCE-404 BCE): An alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens, initially formed to continue the fight against Persia.
    • Kikuyu Confederation (18th century-19th century): A coalition of Kikuyu communities in Kenya formed for defense against external threats.
    • Zulu Kingdom Confederation (1816-1879): A confederation of southern African tribes under Shaka Zulu for defense and expansion.
    • Lakota Confederacy (18th century-1890): An alliance of seven Lakota Sioux tribes for mutual defense and political unity in the Great Plains region.
    • Haida Confederation (pre-colonial-19th century): A confederation of indigenous Haida clans in the Pacific Northwest for collective decision-making and defense.
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• Counter-Example(s):
  • Federal Systems, where the central authority has the power to act directly on individuals, such as in the current United States, Germany, or Switzerland.
  • Unitary States, where a single central government holds the majority of the political power, unlike a confederation's distribution of power among member states.
  • Commonwealths or loose political associations like the Commonwealth of Nations, which lack a binding central government.
  • Empires like the Roman Empire or the Ottoman Empire, where centralized control extends over subject territories.
  • City-State Leagues, such as the Delian League, which may act as defensive alliances but lack the sovereignty-preserving structure of a confederation.
• See: Regional Integration, Sovereign State, Treaty, Intergovernmentalism, Intergovernmental Organization, Federal System, Supranational Union, Secession, Emmerich de Vattel, Federal State, Articles of Confederation, US Constitution.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation Retrieved:2024-10-4.
  • A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issues, such as defence, foreign relations, internal trade or currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all its members. Confederalism represents a main form of intergovernmentalism, defined as any form of interaction around states that takes place on the basis of sovereign independence or government. The nature of the relationship among the member states constituting a confederation varies considerably. Likewise, the relationship between the member states and the general government and their distribution of powers varies. Some looser confederations are similar to international organisations. Other confederations with stricter rules may resemble federal systems. These elements of such confederations, the international organization and federalist perspective, has been combined as supranational unions. Since the member states of a confederation retain their sovereignty, they have an implicit right of secession. The political philosopher Emmerich de Vattel said: "Several sovereign and independent states may unite themselves together by a perpetual confederacy without each, in particular, ceasing to be a perfect state.... The deliberations in common will offer no violence to the sovereignty of each member". Under a confederation, compared to a federal state, the central authority is relatively weak. Decisions made by the general government in a unicameral legislature, a council of the member states, require subsequent implementation by the member states to take effect; they are not laws acting directly upon the individual but have more the character of interstate agreements. Also, decision-making in the general government usually proceeds by consensus (unanimity), not by the majority. Historically, those features limit the union's effectiveness. Hence, political pressure tends to build over time for the transition to a federal system of government, as in the American, Swiss and German cases of regional integration.

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