A confederation is an association of sovereign member states, that by treaty have delegated certain of their competences to common institutions, in order to coordinate their policies in a number of areas, without constituting a new state on top of the member states. Under international law a confederation respects the sovereignty of its members and its constituting treaty can only be changed by unanimous agreement.
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of sovereign states for common action in relation to other states.1 Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign affairs or a common currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all members.
The nature of the relationship among the states constituting a confederation varies considerably. Likewise, the relationship between the member states, the central government and the distribution of powers among them, is highly variable. Some looser confederations are similar to intergovernmental organizations, while tighter confederations may resemble federations.
In a non-political context, confederation is used to describe a type of organization which consolidates authority from other semi-autonomous bodies. Examples include sports confederations or confederations of Pan-European trades unions.
In Canada, the word confederation has an additional, unrelated meaning.2 It refers to the process of (or the event of) establishing a federation.3 Canadian Confederation generally refers to the Constitution Act, 1867 which initially united three colonies of British North America (Province of Canada, Province of New Brunswick and Province of Nova Scotia), and to the subsequent incorporation of other colonies and territories; Canada, however, is a federation and not a confederation, since it is a sovereign nation-state.
Contents 1 Confederation vs federation 1.1 Canada 1.2 Switzerland 1.3 Iroquois League 1.4 European Union 1.5 Belgium 2 Historic confederations 3 See also 4 References 5 External links // Confederation vs federationBy definition the difference between a confederation and a federation is that the membership of the member states in a confederation is voluntary, while the membership in a federation is not.4567 A confederation is most likely to feature these differences over a federation:
(1) No real direct powers: many confederal decisions are externalised by member-state legislation. (2) Decisions on day-to-day-matters are not taken by simple majority but by special majorities or even by consensus or unanimity (veto for every member). (3) Changes of the constitution, usually a treaty, require unanimity.citation needed(Example)
CanadaConfederation for Canada happened (officially "British North America Act 1867") on July 1, 1867 when it separated from Britain under the leadership of Sir John A. Macdonald. The provinces first involved were Canada West (Ontario), Canada East (Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. later joining Confederation were Manitoba, British Columbia, PEI, Alberta and Saskatchewan and finally Newfoundland in 1949. This is not an example of a modern Confederation as Canada is more aptly described as being a Federation.
SwitzerlandSwitzerland, officially known as the Swiss Confederation8910, is a notable example of a modern country that refers to itself as confederation. It should be noted, however, that Switzerland is a confederation only in name, as after the civil war of 1847, when some of the Catholic cantons tried to set up a separate alliance (the Sonderbundskrieg), the resulting political system acquired all the characteristics of a federation.11 It had been a confederacy since its inception in 1291 as the Old Swiss Confederacy, originally created as an alliance among the valley communities of the central Alps, and retains the confederal name to the present day. The confederacy facilitated management of common interests (free trade) and ensured peace on the important mountain trade.
Iroquois LeagueThe Iroquois League, historically the Iroquois Confederacy, is a group of First Nations/Native Americans that consists of six nations: the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Seneca and the Tuscarora. The Iroquois have a representative government known as the Grand Council. The Grand Council is the oldest governmental institution still maintaining its original form in North America.12 Each tribe sends chiefs to act as representatives and make decisions for the whole nation.
European UnionDue to its unique nature, and the political sensitivities surrounding it, there is no common or legal classification for the European Union (EU). However, it does bear some resemblance to a confederation or federation. The EU operates common economic policies with hundreds of common laws, which enable a single economic market, open internal borders, a common currency and allow for numerous other areas where powers have been transferred and directly applicable laws are made. However, unlike a federation, the EU does not have exclusive powers over foreign affairs, defence and taxation. Furthermore, laws sometimes must be transcribed into national law by national parliaments; decisions by member states are taken by special majorities with blocking minorities accounted for; and treaty amendment requires ratification by every member state before it can come into force.
However, academic observers more usually discuss the EU in the terms of it being a federation;1314
“ Europe has charted its own brand of constitutional federalism. ” — Joseph H. H. Weiler “ Those uncomfortable using the “F” word in the EU context should feel free to refer to it as a quasi-federal or federal-like system. Nevertheless, for the purposes of the analysis here, the EU has the necessary attributes of a federal system. It is striking that while many scholars of the EU continue to resist analyzing it as a federation, most contemporary students of federalism view the EU as a federal system (See for instance, Bednar, Filippov et al., McKay, Kelemen, Defigueido and Weingast). ” — (R. Daniel Kelemen, Rutgers University) BelgiumMany authors are now speaking of Belgium as a country with some aspects of a confederation. C.E. Lagasse wrote it about the agreements between Belgian Regions and Communities: We are near the political system of a Confederation.15 Vincent de Coorebyter, Director of the CRISP 16 wrote in Le Soir Belgium is undoubtedly a federation... [but] has some aspects of a confederation17 Michel Quévit, Professor at the Université Catholique de Louvain wrote also in Le Soir The Belgian political system is already in dynamics of a Confederation.18 The same author wrote already about this issue in 1984 with other Professors.19
Historic confederations The monarchs of the member states of the German Confederation meet in Frankfurt in 1863.Note that historical confederations (especially those predating the 20th century) may not fit the current definition of a confederation, may be proclaimed as a federation but be confederal (or the reverse), and may not show any qualities that are today recognized as those of a federation.
Some have more the characteristics of a personal union, but they are listed here because of their own self-styling.
Crown of Aragon (1137–1716) Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (confederated personal union; 1447–1492, 1501–1569, (different governments, armies, treasuries, laws, territories with borders, citizenships; common monarch (Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland), parliament (Sejm) and currency) Old Swiss Confederacy (1291–1848), officially the Swiss Confederation Hanseatic League Kalmar Union (confederated personal union; 1397–1523; Denmark, Sweden, Norway) Livonian Confederation (1435–1561) Denmark-Norway (confederated personal union; 1536–1814) Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands (1581-1795) Wampanoag Confederacy Powhatan Confederacy Confederate Ireland (1641-1649) New England Confederation (1643–1684) Aro Confederacy, (1690-1902), in what is now Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea United States of America under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1788) Western Confederacy (1785-1795) Pre-united Germany after the Holy Roman Empire Confederation of the Rhine (1806–1813) had no head of state nor a government German Confederation (1815–1866) North German Confederation (1866–1871) Became the German Empire in 1871 United Provinces of New Granada (1810–1816 in what is now Colombia) Sweden-Norway (confederated personal union; 1814–1905) Confederation of the Equator (1824, located in Northeast Brazil) Peru-Bolivian Confederation (1836–1839) Confederation of Central America (1842–1844, El Salvador+Guatemala+Honduras+Nicaragua) Argentine Confederation (1832–1860) (Even though the Argentine Republic can also be called Argentine Confederation nowadays) Confederate States of America (1861–1865) Carlist States in Spain (1872–1876) United Arab Republic (confederation de-facto; 1958–1961, Egypt+Syria; 1963, Egypt+Syria+Iraq) Arab Federation (confederation de-facto; 1958, (Iraq+Jordan) Union of African States (1961–1963, Mali+Ghana+Guinea) Federation of Arab Republics (confederation de-facto; 1972, Egypt+Syria+Libya) Arab Islamic Republic (confederation de-facto; 1974, Libya+Tunisia) Senegambia (1982–1989, Senegal+Gambia) Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006) Canada (Self-styled as to "Confederation", the act of joining Canadian provinces in the British North America Act of 1867; Canada is not a Confederacy but rather a decentralized Federal Monarchy, in which the one Canadian Crown is represented at both the federal and provincial levels, the provinces being co-sovereign with the federal government.20 See also Commonwealth Confederacy Federacy References ^ Oxford English Dictionary ^ How Canadian Govern Themselves, First Edition, 1980 by Eugene Forsey, Ch. on A Federal State p.1 ^ How Canadian Govern Themselves, First Edition, 1980 by Eugene Forsey, Ch. on A Federal State p.1 ^ http://www.jcpa.org/dje/articles/federalist.htm ^ http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/obi/0320100.html ^ http://userpages.umbc.edu/~nmiller/POLI100/Q&A.htm ^ http://fs.huntingdon.edu/jlewis/Outlines/JusticeTheoriesSA.htm ^ http://www.admin.ch/ ^ http://www.bk.admin.ch/dokumentation/02070/index.html?lang=en ^ http://swissconfederationinstitute.org/ ^ Haller/Kölz, p. 147 ^ Jennings, p.94 ^ Josselin, Jean Michel; Marciano, Alain (2006) (dead link), The political economy of European federalism, Series : Public Economics and Social Choice, Centre for Research in Economics and Management, University of Rennes 1, University of Caen, p. 12, WP 2006-07; UMR CNRS 6211, http://crem.univ-rennes1.fr/wp/2006/ie-200607.pdf, "A complete shift from a confederation to a federation would have required to straightforwardly replace the principalship of the member states vis-à-vis the Union by that of the European citizens. [. . .] As a consequence, both confederate and federate features coexist in the judicial landscape." ^ How the court made a federation of the EU [1].Josselin (U de Rennes-1/CREM) and Marciano (U de Reims CA/CNRS). ^ French Le confédéralisme n'est pas loin Charles-Etienne Lagasse, Les nouvelles institutions politiques de la Belgique et de l'Europe, Erasme, Namur 2003, p. 405 ISBN 2-87127-783-4 ^ Belgian research center whose activities are devoted to the study of decision-making in Belgium and in Europe ^ French La Belgique est (...) incontestablement, une fédération : il n’y a aucun doute (...) Cela étant, la fédération belge possède d’ores et déjà des traits confédéraux qui en font un pays atypique, et qui encouragent apparemment certains responsables à réfléchir à des accommodements supplémentaires dans un cadre qui resterait, vaille que vaille, national Vincent de Coorebyter "La Belgique (con)fédérale" in Le Soir 24 june 2008 ^ French Le système institutionnel belge est déjà inscrit dans une dynamique de type confédéral Michel Quévit Le confédéralisme est une chance pour les Wallons et les Bruxellois, Le Soir, 19 september 2008 ^ Robert Deschamps, Michel Quévit, Robert Tollet, Vers une réforme de type confédéral de l'État belge dans le cadre du maintien de l'union monétaire, in Wallonie 84, n°2, pp. 95-111 ^ How Canadians Govern Themselves http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/AboutParliament/Forsey/fed_state_01-e.asp External links Look up confederation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The Fathers of Confederation Confederation: The Creation of Canada — Illustrated Historical Essay WorldStatesmen - here South Africa v • d • e Autonomous types of first-tier subdivision administration Federalism Federation (Federated state) · Asymmetric federalism · Dual federalism · Federacy · Federal monarchy See also Decentralization · Devolution (Regional state · Constituent country · Constituent state) · Subsidiarity · Home rule · Autonomy (Autonomous area) · Confederation · Fiscal federalism · Supranationalism · Personal union v • d • e World government History Holy Roman Empire · League of Nations · Permanent Court of International Justice · Nuremberg Trials · Tokyo trials · Permanent Court of Arbitration · Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere Concept (proposal) United Nations Parliamentary Assembly · Central Asian Union · Commonwealth Union · Pacific Union · North American Union · East African Federation · Arab Union · Federal Europe · East Asian Community · United States of Africa · United States of Europe Theory (practice) Alter-globalization · Commonwealth · Confederation · Cosmopolitanism · Federalism · Global governance · Globalization · Intergovernmentalism · Mundialization · Supranationalism · Pax · Planetary management · New World Order Global body United Nations · Interpol · International Monetary Fund · World Bank Group · World Trade Organization · Commonwealth of Nations Regional body Economic Cooperation Organization · European Union · Latin Union · Council of Europe · Caribbean Community · Arab League · African Union · Union of South American Nations · Shanghai Cooperation Organisation · Association of Southeast Asian Nations · Association of Caribbean States · Central American Integration System · Commonwealth of Independent States · Melanesian Spearhead Group · Organization of American States · South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation · Pacific Islands Forum · North Atlantic Treaty Organization · Mercosur International parliament European Parliament · Arab Parliament · Pan-African Parliament · Latin American Parliament · South American Parliament · Mercosur Parliament · Inter-Parliamentary Union International court International Criminal Court · International Court of Justice · International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia · International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda · African Court of Justice · Caribbean Court of Justice · Inter-American Court of Human Rights · European Court of Justice · European Court of Human Rights Law and treaty International law (Public · Private · Supranational) · International legal theory · United Nations Charter · Universal Declaration of Human Rights · Geneva Conventions · Rome Statute of the ICC · Kyoto Protocol · European Union treaties · European Union law · Treaty of Chaguaramas Movements Federal Union · World Federalist Movement Category · Portalconfederation n. The act of forming into or becoming part of a confederacy. The state of being confederated
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Accra, Sept. 8, GNA - The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed match officials from Niger for this weekend's African U-17 qualifier between Ghana's Black Starlets and their Zambian counterparts.
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Articles of Confederation Early U.S. constitution (1781 – 89) under the government by the Continental Congress , replaced in 1787 by the U.S
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Oceania Cycling Confederation vice president Mike Victor is looking to have cycling included in the calendar of events in future Micronesian Games.
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Confederation definition, the act of confederating. See more. ... the Confederation, the union of the 13 original U.S. states under the Articles of ...
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THE World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) has designated September 8 World Physical Therapy Day (WPTD) to mark the unity and solidarity of the physical therapy community in 101 countries. Physical Therapists (PTs), also known as physiotherapists in many countries, are experts in developing and maintaining people’s ability to move and function throughout their life. Through advanced ...
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Translations of confederation. confederation synonyms, confederation antonyms. Information about confederation in the free online ...
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Middle East-focused gaming site reports confederation of Persian Gulf kingdoms has banned 2K's La Cosa Nostra sim.
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Confederations are usually created by treaty but tend to later adopt a constitution. ... Sometimes confederation is erroneously used in the place of federation. ...
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Demand appears robust for jobs in the technology sector, for both permanent and temporary roles, according to the latest survey from KMPG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
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The confederation form ed by the original American colonies was soon found to be ineffective and gave way to the present US constitution in 1789. ...
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Richard Lambert, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), has warned that a 'graduate tax' could encourage the UK's brightest university leavers to seek employment opportunities in other countries.
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A confederation is a sovereign nation formed by the joining together of other sovereign nations. ... A typical feature of a confederation is that the member states ...
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The inspection team of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has declared that preparations ahead of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations were in good progress in Gabon, which will co-host the tournament with Equatorial Guinea.
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The Articles of Confederation were submitted to the states for ratification on November 17 1777, accompanied by a letter from Congress urging that the document ...
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Oceania Cycling Confederation vice president Mike Victor concluded his four-day visit on Saipan yesterday with the hope of having the CNMI join the regional group in the near future.
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A U.K. index of hiring for permanent jobs in August showed the slowest growth pace in 10 months, KPMG LLP and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said.
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Andrew Charlesworth, Computing , Wednesday 8 September 2010 at 07:56:00 Public sector bears the brunt The number of permanent and contract jobs in the IT sector increased over the last 12 months but growth has slowed since the first quarter of 2010, according to the latest report from KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). The number of IT contractors’ jobs also increased ...
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