Only a limited number of issues are the responsibility of the union of sovereign states, while all its members retain state sovereignty. Such unions are created, as a rule, to solve certain problems and achieve specific goals and are rarely stable in a historical perspective, but there are exceptions.
What is a confederation?
The Union of Sovereign States is a form of government in which all decisions of the central government do not have direct force, but are mediated by the authorities of the member states of the union. The criteria for defining any union as confederate are so vague that many political scientists even tend not to consider a confederation a full-fledged state.
All decisions made by the confederal government must be approved by the authorities of the states in the union. However, the most important feature of the confederation is the right of any of its members to leave at will, without coordinating such a decision with others.members and the central government.
However, it should be taken into account that a significant variety of forms of state-legal unions of states does not make it possible to set permanent and unchanging criteria for defining a confederation. In this case, it makes sense to turn to historical examples and the practice of state government.
Historical forms of confederation
The history of statehood knows examples of both confederations with fairly strong centralization and clear powers of the central government, and rather amorphous state formations in which the center performed only nominal functions.
A striking example of the instability of a confederation, as a union of sovereign states, is the United States, on the example of which one can trace the evolution of a confederation from an entity with an extremely weak center to a typical federation with a strong head of state.
The first Declaration indicated that the states conclude separate agreements between themselves for joint defense and infrastructure improvement, however, the "Articles of Confederation", which indicated the plan of action for unification, were rather advisory in nature. Later, the Articles were heavily criticized by the Founding Fathers and the government of the United States of America underwent a significant transformation.
History of Switzerland
Switzerland is considered to be the most striking example of the ability of the confederation tolong-term sustainable existence. In its current form, such a state-legal union of sovereign states took shape on August 1, 1291, when three Swiss cantons signed the so-called union letter.
Later, in 1798, Napoleonic France abolished the confederal structure of Switzerland, establishing a unitary Helvetic Republic. However, five years later, this decision had to be canceled, returning the Alpine state to its natural state.
A confederation is a permanent union of sovereign states, however, even in the case of a confederation, there are a number of issues that are de alt with by the central government. For example, in modern Switzerland, such issues are the issuance of money and defense policy.
However, the main way to ensure national security in the case of Switzerland is political neutrality, which guarantees the country's non-intervention in any international conflicts. Such a position of the state on the world political arena provides it with a stable economic position and security from the leading world players, since each of them is interested in the existence of a neutral arbitrator or mediator.
Prospects for a confederate arrangement
Despite the fact that historically the confederation appeared simultaneously with the federation, this form of union of sovereign states has become much less common.
Throughout the late Middle Ages and throughout the New Age in state buildingthere was a trend towards centralization and strong state control in all areas.
Today, however, lawyers and state experts consider the confederal form of the device the most promising and agree that it will become increasingly popular.
Modern confederations
Such expectations are due to the fact that in international practice there has been an obvious trend towards partial renunciation of sovereignty in favor of supranational structures, which some political scientists tend to consider as prototypes of future large confederations.
A striking example of a permanent union of states is the European Union, whose members have a common currency, a common border and are subject to many decisions of the central authorities, although they are advisory.
