According to Rupak Chattopadhyay, a Canadian scholar, federations (and the constitutional anomalies that go with them) are desirable in countries that are large or ethnically mixed or both. He thinks that Egypt, despite its history of strong state power, may now need to become decentralised to cope with the needs of around 84m people; even a small country like Libya may need a federal arrangement to accommodate its mixture of tribes and local interests. He is shortly to become president of the Forum of Federations, a body that is based in Canada and backed by nine governments.
Why is the tie between federalism and democracy so awkward? In most federations the units have formally equal status, regardless of population, so voters in small units fare better. Thus the 544,270 residents of Wyoming have two senators—the same as the 37m people of California
