Editing Federalism (section)

==In relation to conflict==
It has been argued that federalism and other forms of territorial autonomy are a useful way to structure political systems in order to prevent violence among different groups within countries because it allows certain groups to legislate at the subnational level.<ref>{{cite book|first=Arend |last=Lijphart |date=1977 |title=Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration |location=New Haven, CT |publisher=[[Yale University Press]]}}</ref> Some scholars have suggested, however, that federalism can divide countries and result in state collapse because it creates proto-states.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hale |first=Henry E. |date=2004 |title=Divided We Stand: Institutional Sources of Ethnofederal State Survival and Collapse |journal=World Politics |language=en |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=165–193 |doi=10.1353/wp.2004.0011 |s2cid=155052031 |issn=1086-3338|doi-access=free }}</ref> Still others have shown that federalism is only divisive when it lacks mechanisms that encourage political parties to compete across regional boundaries.<ref>{{cite book | last=Brancati | first=Dawn | date=2009 | title=Peace by design: Managing intrastate conflict through decentralization | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=978-0-19-954900-9 | oclc=245559225 | doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549009.001.0001 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NdsVDAAAQBAJ}} [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288765127_Peace_by_Design_Managing_Intrastate_Conflict_through_Decentralization Chapter summaries]</ref>

Federalism is sometimes viewed in the context of international negotiation as "the best system for integrating diverse nations, ethnic groups, or combatant parties, all of whom may have cause to fear control by an overly powerful center".<ref name="Meyer-Resende">{{cite magazine | last=Meyer-Resende | first=Michael | date=18 March 2016 | title=Why talk of federalism won't help peace in Syria | magazine=[[Foreign Policy]] | url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/18/why-talk-of-federalism-wont-help-peace-in-syria-assad/ | access-date=19 June 2024 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315000604/https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/18/why-talk-of-federalism-wont-help-peace-in-syria-assad/ | archive-date=2017-03-15}}</ref> However, those skeptical of federal prescriptions sometimes believe that increased [[regional autonomy]] can lead to secession or dissolution of the nation.<ref name="Meyer-Resende" /> In [[Syria]], for example, federalization proposals have failed in part because "Syrians fear that these borders could turn out to be the same as the ones that the fighting parties have currently carved out."<ref name="Meyer-Resende" />