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Federations currently being created
Hello everyone,
The APROFED association is coming back to you this week to present some ongoing global initiatives for grouping states in the form of confederations or federations.
Besides the European Union , which has still not finalized its transformation into a full-fledged federation, remaining at the stage of a confederation since the end of World War II , many states around the world also wish to try the experience of federalism.
For example, consider the Arab League (see Arab League – Wikipedia ) or the Arab Maghreb Union (see Arab Maghreb Union – Wikipedia ) for the Arab-speaking, predominantly Muslim states of North Africa and the Middle East. The former was created in 1945, notably in response to the interference of European colonial powers in the region, namely France and the United Kingdom. The League, composed of some twenty states, aims to affirm the unity of the Arab nation. In 1976, it established the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) to promote the use of the Arab dinar and potentially create a single currency (see Arab Monetary Fund – Wikipedia ). The Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), for its part, founded in 1989 by Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania, aimed to foster fraternal relations among its member states and facilitate the free movement of goods and people. Although both remain in effect, the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) experienced tensions very early on, linked to disagreements between each of the countries. The Council of its Heads of State has not met since 1994.
Still on the African continent, two other projects are worth mentioning. The first is the East African Federation (see East African Federation — Wikipedia ), which would succeed the current East African Community (EAC) and would consist of merging eight African countries into a single sovereign state. In 2010, the EAC launched its common market for goods, labor, and capital in the region. A common currency, the East African shilling, was supposed to be introduced in 2012, with the federation three years later. As of 2023, unfortunately, neither monetary nor political union has yet been achieved. In September 2018, however, a committee was formed to begin the process of drafting a constitution.
The second is the Confederation of Sahel States (see Alliance of Sahel States — Wikipedia ), founded in 2023, initially to counter potential armed threats from outside the region. Although an initial federation project, presented by the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, collapsed in February 2023, the leader of Niger announced in August 2024 the future formation of a federation, with the creation of an investment bank, a biometric passport, and a joint television channel. A common currency called the Sahel is also being considered to replace the CFA franc, a reference to the former colonial power, France. In February 2025, a flag representing the alliance was unveiled. An official anthem for the confederation is also created in May 2025. The confederation decides to establish a common customs duty on imports from countries that are not members of the confederation of the alliance of Sahel states.
65 years later, history seems to offer a second chance to the countries of the Sahel, as highlighted by the Journal du Mali with its title: Federalism, hope revived (cf. JDM-543-light.pdf ).
A sixth example, this time from Latin America, should be presented. This is UNASUR, or the Union of South American Nations (see Union of South American Nations – Wikipedia ). Created in 2004 by 12 states, modeled on the European Union, this union aims to unite two free trade zones: Mercosur and the Andean Community, even though its initial primary objective was to bypass the Organization of American States, of which the United States is a member. The leaders announced their intention to model the new community on the EU, notably with the establishment of a Parliament, a common citizenship, a common passport, and eventually a common currency by 2020. The UNASUR founding treaty was signed on May 23, 2008, during the third summit of heads of state held in Brasilia, Brazil. The founding treaty stipulates that the Union’s headquarters will be located in Quito, Ecuador. The South American Parliament is to be housed in Cochabamba, Bolivia, while the headquarters of the central bank, the Bank of the South, will be in Caracas, Venezuela. On October 24, 2011, the Union of South American Nations was granted observer status at the UN General Assembly.
However, in April 2018, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru decided to suspend their participation in UNASUR indefinitely, citing a lack of “concrete results guaranteeing the proper functioning of the organization.” Three countries announced their definitive withdrawal. Some see this as the barely veiled hand of the United States seeking to maintain its grip on the region. The same applies to France with regard to African countries, as the articles below remind us:
SOUTH AMERICA – What happened to UNASUR? – AlterInfos – DIAL
Geopolitically Yours #5 – The UNASUR Assessment – Major Prep
The Union of South American Nations has lost more than half of its members
Thus, although many federation projects are underway, they still need to transcend the nation-state ideology put in place by the former colonial powers and continue to resist those who wish to maintain their past imperialist hegemonies over territories they considered to be their property.
It is therefore not surprising to note that, upon the announcement of the creation of most of these future federations, regional conflicts within them appear as if by chance, surely to prevent them from implementing their projects.
The association also notes that the origin of these various federation projects is similar to that experienced by countries like the United States and Canada, namely, uniting against a potential external aggressor . The United States against the British colonial empire, Canada against the United States, and so on.
The association is pleased to note that all of these states have embraced the adage, ” unity is strength,” and to observe that today the majority of economic powers at the global level are federations.
Regarding UNASUR, it would seem that the situation has improved since 2023 with the return of some South American countries to the union (cf. Unasur rises from the ashes: a new impetus for South American integration? – L’Humanité ).
While the IMF recently called on the EU to move towards the United States of Europe (see “Slow and mediocre growth”: the IMF notes that Europeans earn less than Americans and calls on the EU to move towards the “United States of Europe” ), the association is renewing its call to the various Pacific island states to move towards the United States of Oceania (see without France – APROFED ).
The association also reiterates its wish to see the UN reformed (see UN: an institution to be reformed on the federal model – APROFED ) with a view to welcoming new federations into its security council as permanent members in order to create a new world order in the long term around 15 federations at the global level of more or less equivalent size in order to respond to the urgent challenges, particularly climate challenges, which are impacting humanity more and more violently.
It is worth recalling here that of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council, 2 are federations (Russia, USA) and 2 others are evolving towards this notion with the United Kingdom, described as a quasi-federal hybrid state and France representing the EU, currently a confederation which should eventually become a full-fledged federation.
Wishing you a pleasant read and reminding you that federalism is the only solution to reconcile unity in diversity.
The APROFED association