Political Science

In January of 2008, my country, Kenya, was nearly destroyed due to the botched presidential elections.  The rigged elections triggered the escalation of long standing ethnic tensions, mostly over land ownership, as the news reports.  Anyone Kenyan, however, knows that the problem is much more than that.  Having been born and raised in Kenya, I know that the problem is not simply land but that of extreme poverty.  Fifty-five percent of Kenyans are living below the poverty line.  There are those who say this is because of the endemic corruption that has plagued this countrys government but that is still only part of the bigger problem.
It is in search for the solution, however, that I have been led to this point in my life.  I feel that I do understand the problems of my country but at the same time acknowledge the limitations that I have when it comes to solving these problems.  The fundamental problem that has led to the poverty and the all-pervasive corruption is that the laws, the constitution and institutions do not ensure equity and justice.  This failure of the public policy in Kenya is one of the reasons that have led me to my interest in earning a MAPP degree.

Having worked for the Kenya Revenue Authority, I have gained a deep appreciation of the importance of appropriate policies that will benefit the society as a whole.  I realize, however, that I need to gain a better education in order to be able to really contribute towards helping others and making the world a better place.  This, I feel, is the advantage a MAPP can bring me, teaching me, through practical application and theoretical thinking, how best to implement the change that I see as necessary for the growth and development of my country.

During my undergraduate studies, I focused on economics and philosophy.  I have also just gotten my Masters in Business Administration.  It has been said, however, that desire and natural talent are nothing if they cannot be harnessed properly.  In order to harness these talents, I firmly believe that taking my MAPP at this institution would be the best way to achieve this.  One of the many wonderful concepts I have learned from my parents is to strive for academic excellence while balancing life with other activities and contributions.  It is this fine balance that I feel will be provided if I am accepted in this program.  I strongly feel that in order to reach my full potential I need to be in an environment that best caters to my interests and goals.

I feel that I am ready to tackle the challenges of this masters.  If anything, I feel that the narration of these experiences serves to substantiate my claim that I do realize what I need to do in life and what I aim to make of my career.  Unlike most people, I genuinely believe that I have been fortunate to get these experiences and I know that I should make the most of this.  As such, I would like to thank you for your time and consideration for this application.

Having been accepted at the University College London (UCL) to study MSc in Public Policy, I hereby apply for a scholarship from your organization. I am requesting for Pound sign 22, 440 to cater for tuition and living expenses during my one year course that takes 37 weeks.

In line with your principle Wealth contributed by society should be returned and in generous measures, I intend to return to Singapore after my studies to help develop my country through public consulting. In addition to being consistent in my academic performance, I have also been actively involved in extra curricular activities as the project director of the NUS Students Animal Welfare Group where I led the organizing committee of the Singapore Animal Welfare Symposium in May 2009. In addition, I am serving as the executive editor of a student newspaper in my university, leading a team of 6 student writers. I am also a regular volunteer and lifetime member of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Singapore and have actively participated in international conferences and programs on social issues.

An opportunity to study at UCL will complement my achievements and enable me serve the community better. The scholarship will also help me realize my dream and become an ambassador to Singapore at UCL. Below is a table showing the total cost of the course.

It is no doubt that an overwhelming majority of political observers recommend democracy as the best system of political governance in the modern world. This support is based on the fact that in the ideal case, democracy is fully representative of all citizens in a nation and its operational framework guards the masses against abuse by the governing authorities. Furthermore, democracy sets an environment conducive for the promotion of domestic and international peace and economic development (Carothers, Berman, 29). There has been a radical shift in momentum at present as compared to much of the twentieth century where most of the focus was on proving the political and economic viability of democratic systems, now most of the attention in the international political arena concerns the promotion and nurturing of democratic regimes and institutions.

However, there contention has continued to increase as to what really defines a stable democracy. On one side, Universalist proponents of democracy have argued that a democracy can emerge under any socio-political and economic conditions and still prevail while on the other hand, preconditionist theorists have a firm belief that a particular set of supportive circumstances and conditions must already be existing for a democracy to emerge and then thrive.

Recent events have undermined the effort of global policy makers to universally endorse the establishment of democratic orders in the world. The post cold war era and the subsequent disintegration of the USSR had set a foundation for the spread of democracy as the leading system of governance. Many institutions emerged particularly from the west to fund a wide range of nations from all corners of the globe with the sole aim of promoting democracy and good governance (Carothers, Berman, 32). Unfortunately, towards the turn of the millennium, rampant corruption in many countries undermined democratic governance, and in some cases, long-running cultural and religious orders clashed sharply with democratic principles. The disappointing result was that as the effort to reinforce democracy was being overdriven, many of the pre-established democratic regimes were stalling or had already failed (Mansfield, Synders, 39). The need thus arise to re-examine the viability of democracy as a system of governance, and possible negative effects on the background of specific underlying circumstances.

The Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle had pointed centuries ago of the need for cyclic alternations in governance systems as a means of ensuring political and economic stability. Honestly, observing recent developments in the world, it is true that the liberties provided for in democratic principles has been abused and brought more problems than solutions. There has been an increase in the number of states where political power has become concentrated in the hands of a few powerful individuals whose sole aim is to protect their interests and amass political and material worth. In other words, democracy has become a camouflage for oligarchies.

The corruption of institutions of democracy and the running of state affairs by a handful of powerful individuals or the ruling class has brought a lot of conflict between the holders of political office and the governed masses. In a capitalist setting, greed for property and affluence has driven those wielding the power to cleverly devise within the framework of democracy schemes aimed at maintaining their status(Mansfield, Synders, 3). Worse still, cases exist where a nation is comprised of diverse ethnic entities. In such a scenario, there could arise a certain ethnic community or a coalition of ethnic communities that has the numbers to continually manipulate the provision that the majority rules to completely marginalize the minorities from policy issues, economic participation and wealth distribution. This will breed a lot of animosity and violence, even genocide.

Historically and presently, the process of democratization, often a transition from authoritarian or dictatorial rule, is very difficult. It often stimulates the emergence of revolutionary nationalism and there is imminent clash between the state loyalists (the ideal democrats) and the territorial control enthusiasts (Mansfield, Synders, 41). The result is rivalry between those elements keen to protect their interests and those ready to embrace the idealness of democracy, and the rules and processes guiding the formulation and implementation of politics become undefined. There is then an attempt based on might and affluence to manipulate policy making so that the determinant factor is compromise, coercion, oppression and patronage rather that the principles of democracy.

Militant nationalism and the inherent inclination of politics among ethnic lines are prevalent in many young democracies (Carothers, Berman, 37). Even though democracy is supposed to forge domestic and international harmony and tranquility, these factors create an imbalance that tentatively promotes civil war at home and inter-state war. The ending of the cold war saw the emergence of unstable democracies that led to many wars and abuse of human rights. Infamous examples are the bloody wars leading to the splitting of Yugoslavia into two warring nations just six months after a democratic election and the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the Yugoslavia case, ethnic animosity between the Serb and Albanian ethnic groups was the cause of conflict, while militant nationalism and the disputed claim over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh was the cause of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Even though some young democracies like South Korea, Brazil, Taiwan and South Africa have had smooth transitions into democracy, the realization is that nations need to have in place competent and impartial institutions of state before they can be pressed externally to go the democracy way. This calls for the need to limit the degree of liberty exhibited in institutions, or at least first put in place the necessary prerequisites so that the democratization process dose not go haywire. This puts authoritarianism as the suitable mode of governance so that there can be economic liberalism and sufficient institutional control by a government wielding enough power to enforce standards, mobilize its human resource towards the meeting of national and socio-economic objectives.

Basically, the situation arising is that there is a conflict between the ideals of democracy and the power of constitutional liberalism. A liberal authoritarian regime is likely to gain legitimacy on account of them offering a reasonable degree of individual liberty to their citizens. In a world where civil groups and the media are increasingly influential in matters of policy, non-liberalization of the ideal democratic order is likely to be characterized by little corruption, stronger institutions and increased inclusiveness of the masses in policy and economic matters. Whereas liberal democracies have as a characteristic economic oligopolies and wage exploitation, extortive state capitalism and economic regulation even in the minor industries, authoritarianism does not support resource accumulation (Mansfield, Synder, 44). Therefore, the state does not need to supersede economic markets as the main strategy of determining the trajectories of the social and economic orders and creating a system in which the welfare certain classes of citizens will not be compromised. Through this, monopolies and oligopolies will be discouraged as the affluence of enterprise will not exceed that of the state.

Re Gault was one of the landmark rulings in the United States.  It was an important ruling that shaped juvenile justice system. The ruling reinforced the importance of due process in handling juvenile related cases. The ruling also showed that minors have the right to the represented by an attorney like other people.  The court agreed that the constitutional guarantee of due process is applicable to juveniles who are charged as delinquent (Scott 557). This was an important ruling that changed the life of average American juveniles who find themselves accused of delinquency.

Case summary and rulings
Gerald Francis Gault was fifteen years old when he was taken to custody for alleged obscene call.  It was on 8th June 1964 when Gault was take into custody without parental notification after their neighbor, Ora Cook, complained of having received indecent telephone call, which according to Gault, was made by his friend (Great Supreme Court Cases). When Gault parent returned home found their son missing, they traced him to County Childrens Detention Home but they were denied a chance to talk to him.

The next morning, Judge McGhee from Superior Court presided over the preliminary hearing but did not deliver any verdict on the case.  Gault was kept in custody for some few more days but later released without an explanation.  On June 15th, juvenile judge McGhee delivered his verdict on the case arguing that Gault was a delinquent child and had to be confined until he reached 21 years (Great Supreme Court Cases). Surprisingly, the accuser, Ora Cook, did not attend both hearing and the judge claimed that she did not have to be present. Since there were no witnesses sworn in the court and no transcript of hearing, the ruling was followed by contents particularly from Gualts parent who disagreed with the judge that Gault had admitted having made the indecent call.

At the time, Arizona laws did not provide for juvenile appeal and hence the case was petitioned at the Supreme Court for habeas corpus writ. However, Arizona Supreme Court referred the case back to McGhee. The court again dismissed the appeal for habeas corpus and the case was referred to state Supreme Court based on the fact that Arizona Juvenile Code could be considered unconstitutional and that Gila County Juvenile Courts decision was a denial of the due process (Great Supreme Court Cases). This was based on the fact that the juvenile code did not require parental notification and did not allow for appeal.  In the County Court decision, the court did not give notification of the charges against Gault. It did not inform Gault of his right to counsel, right to defend himself in front of his accuser, and the right to remain silent.  The court action did not provide for any record of the hearing proceedings.

After review of the appeal present on the above facts, the Arizona Supreme court also dismissed the habeas corpus writ. The court upheld the constitutionality of the court proceedings in agreement that it had followed the due process (Koroknay-Palicz).  The court also ruled that the country court did not in any way violate the due process.  Hence, the case was appealed in United States Supreme Court.

United States Supreme Court decision however dismissed the ruling from the Arizona state courts. In a close 8-1 decision, the court asserted that the court commitment of the juvenile to State Industrial School violated his rights as provided in Fourteenth Amendments (Great Supreme Court Cases).  According to the court ruling, this was a violation of the juvenile rights since he had been denied the right to be represented by an attorney as provided in the 14th Amendment. Also, the court argued that the accused had not been notified of his the charges brought against him and also he had not been informed of their right against self-incrimination (Great Supreme Court Cases). He was also not given the right to have an opportunity to face his accuser which would have given him a chance to defend himself. Either, he had not been given the right to appeal the sentences delivered upon him in a higher court. The only judge who voted against the rest argued that the main purpose for institution of juvenile court was for mere correction not punishment and hence the constitutional procedural safeguards commonly used in criminal trials did not need to be applied in juvenile cases.

Reflection
This case became a landmark ruling in the United States because it changed the due process in prosecution of juveniles. The ruling asserted the right of juvenile to be taken through a due process of law like other people. In upholding the ruling the Supreme Court reinforced the equality of American people regardless of their age in face of criminal justice system.

The ruling had short and long term effects on American culture and democracy. The case ruling asserted the importance of treating juveniles and equal citizens who had rights like the rest of the population. The case was important in advancing democratic rights to juvenile (Kowalski 25). In short and long term, it reinforced the importance of duel process of law for all.  This decision also affected the average American in their daily life in different ways. The decision guarantees all Americans the right to be protected by the law regardless of their age. After the court ruling, average Americans feel more secure in the face of law since they are assured of protection from violation of their rights in a due process of law.

This paper will present terrorism in the form of a raw idea and how propaganda, ideals, and governments fuel it. The introduction gives a brief explanation and an overview of the essay. The body of the essay explains how governments, ideals and propaganda have promoted terrorism all over the world.  The summary about the findings of the essay has been done in the conclusion part of the essay.

Propaganda involves the use of false information to influence peoples opinions and ideas. It may involve manipulation, omitting important information, distorting it or avoiding the truth so that the other person can accept a certain belief. The information delivered is misleading and deliberates and supports the interest of those propagating it (Lutz, 2004).

Terrorism involves the use of fear in order to compel individuals to perform a certain activity. It involves the use of illegal violence and war to intimidate governments or societies. The terrorists perform their activities in pursuit of their goals which are political, religious or ideological. Terrorism has existed for a long period of time. It has been mostly used by the weaker side in a conflict. Terrorists carry their activities in a secret manner and they form in small groups so that they may not be recognized by their opponents (Livingston, Kress  Wanek, 1978).

Terrorism involves the use of violence to intimidate people. Activities such as destruction of property are used by terrorists to spread violence. Threats of violence are spread by terrorists so that the propaganda can terrorize the intended persons. Terrorists use propaganda to portray how they intend to cause violence to target individuals (Lutz, 2004).

Activities involving terrorism have the characteristics of causing fear and have long term psychological impact. Attacks by terrorists are conducted in order to promote fear. They are intended to exert psychological fear on the people being attacked. Terrorists attract a large audience so as to spread fear among communities. They attack national symbols to display their might and try to cause fear to the society they are conflicting with (Livingston, Kress  Wanek, 1978).

How Governments Have Promoted Terrorism
Some governments have supported terrorism in order to fight their enemies and achieve some economic gains. Saudi Arabia is said to support terrorism through financing terrorists and recruiting individuals for the Al-Qaeda and other similar groups. Some reporters say that the Saudi government has persuaded its people to support terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries. There has been an increase in the number of Saudi fighters working in these countries. The Saudi government is said to provide military support to the Yemeni government in its efforts to suppress the Houthi Shia population in the north. Saudi government has remained to support international terrorism (Lutz, 2004).

The success of Al-Qaeda terrorist group has been achieved due to the support it has gained. Some nations and states finance and assist in the operations of the group. The environment has changed and terrorist groups change their relationship with nations so as to avoid suspicion. The United States and the United Kingdom are the leading sellers of arms all over the world. They form business friendship with some terror groups in order to sell their weapons to them (Gareau, 2004).

Globalization has also increased the rate of terrorism since people can interact all over the world and communication is no longer a barrier to activities that involve operations where distance is a problem. Terrorists take advantage of failed states to carry out their activities. Most of the failed states have a good relationship with terrorist groups. Terrorists collude with rebel groups in the failed states in order to gain power. They have quick access to the territories of these states since there are mechanisms to suppress their operations. The environment in failed states encourages the flourishing of terrorism since they are able to finance and form strong groups with splinter groups in these countries (Houen, 2002).

Unregulated international economy encourages the flourishing of terrorism. The financing of the terrorist groups is done in a secret manner and the economies of the world cannot regulate their financial systems. No sanctions can be placed upon these groups since there is no controlled system of operating international economic affairs (Alexander  Kilmarx, 1979).

The United States have failed to change the policies and programs of the Saudi government that have continued to produce military and suicide bombers. The US government has neglected to sweep terrorism emanating from the Saudi government. This neglect has led to the death of many people including the American armed forces and residents (Livingston, Kress  Wanek, 1978).

When Fidel Castro was in power, he used to spread anti-US propaganda in order to create violence that affected the Colombian society. His intentions were to activate anti-American propaganda in order to spread terrorism in the US. Castro supported terror groups with the intention of fighting the Americans (Lutz, 2004).

How Ideals Have Promoted Terrorism
The United States government has perpetrated terrorism due to its activities that cause revenge from other countries. The US government has tried to overthrow more than forty foreign governments. It has tried to terminate more than thirty popular national movements. The government of the United States is known to use weapons of mass destruction. These activities have led to the death of many people. The US conflict has been recognized to affect developing countries with rich natural resources. Many sanctions have been put upon some states by the UN, and the US government implements these sanctions. This has caused retaliation from most governments and some terrorist groups have come up to fight against the American attacks (Alexander  Kilmarx, 1979).

Lack of political involvement in the fight against terrorism has caused the increase in the terrorist activities. Lack of political participation has caused the increase in terrorism. The political ideals have promoted terrorism since they lack the agenda of eradicating the problem but instead concentrate on other issues that aim at fueling the situation rather than providing a solution. Politicians have poorly conducted the activities of the government and the current problems being experienced today have been caused by the poor ideals that have been put across by the politicians (Alexander  Kilmarx, 1979).

How Propaganda Has Promoted Terrorism
The administration of President G. Bush exaggerated the concept of terrorism. This caused the US government to overspend its resources in the effort to suppress terrorism. The government promoted more terrorism instead of reducing it, since retaliation followed, causing the US residents to become targets by many terrorists all over the world (Gareau, 2004).

The terrorists used propaganda to spread their activities. The Al-Qaeda group has been sending video clips of how they are attempting to attack countries. This has created fear to many countries due to the spread of false information. Many states fear terrorism activities and take every effort to prevent it. When propaganda is spread, the governments put mechanisms to protect themselves. This has promoted terrorism since the governments are not aware of the truth of such propaganda (Houen, 2002).

The mass media has promoted terrorism by inflicting fear and indicating uncertainty in future. The US government withholds some information from the media in order to protect itself from terrorism activities. The government has held the idea that media is a source that is being used by terrorists to spread fear to the government and its citizens. There are certain websites that have been developed to propagate terrorism through spread of fear to those who access the internet sources. The spread of misplaced concepts through the internet has increased and terrorists are using their own websites to instill fear to people. Movies are also used to spread propaganda by terrorists. The Al-Qaeda group has produced several movies to show their plans to attempt terror attacks in some countries (Houen, 2002).

Military campaigns have been carried out to instill fear to the enemy countries. Terrorism is an activity that is done by countries which have no power to fight their rivals. They spread fear through propaganda. Terrorism has been applied as a secondary tactic in war with an objective of spreading fear to the enemy. Governments also instill fear to the citizens so as to maintain state power through the use of propaganda (Gareau, 2004).

Conclusion
Propaganda and terrorism are two words that cannot be separated. Terrorism has been made successful through the spread of propaganda. Political ideals have encouraged the spread of terrorism since many politicians create fear to their own citizens and people from other countries, hence encouraging retaliation from these individuals. Government activities have influenced the growth of terrorism since some states have been seen supporting terrorism through financing and selling arms to these groups.

The crimes that have been committed during times of war are those that history should never forget.  War itself is devastating enough but with human violations such as genocide even more people suffer.  The Kurdish Genocide has been largely overlooked because of the numerous violations by the Iraqi government under the control of Saddam Hussein.  While it is admitted that he has committed other crimes, there is none greater than the Kurdish Genocide which he engineered in Iraq.  Beginning with the poisoned gas and the human torture that he inflicted upon the Kurdish population, Saddam Hussein also initiated a number of plans that were designed to eradicate the Kurdish population.  Using a combination of acts that were meant to draw a calculated counterinsurgency, the Kurds were often goaded into acting against the Iraqi government to justify their violent retaliation.  These acts are evidenced in Anfal extermination that shows how Saddam Hussein also used his genocidal acts to consolidate and magnify his power.  It is clear from the events that transpired and expert testimony that Saddam Hussein did indeed engineer the Kurdish Genocide, justifying this as an act to consolidate power against the mounting international pressure.

The United States budget is generated to serve several major purposes to its subjects. First the budget is aimed at providing projections on government revenues and expected spending mechanisms. By this the budget is focused on balancing the economy by cutting down government expenditure and borrowing. The budget aims to bring to book the countrys critical areas needing financing and provide financial allocations to various government programs for example the United States army and research institutes. The current budget was drafted to cut down allocations to the United States army though. The budget was aimed at providing a deficit of 4.9 percent of the gross domestic product. Also, the budget was aimed at stabilizing the economy and achieves equitable growth in all sectors. The budget was structured to achieve a 3.3 growth in order to attract consideration from the IMF. This growth was to be attained through extracting Rs.20 billion from the public sector to fund the exporting sector. The budget was aimed at broadening the tax base instead of adding tax rates. But this is not substantial since the measures taken are not effective.
               
The process of designing the United States budget involves various critical steps which are important in making sure the correct estimates are reached at. The United States federal budget is derived by appropriating the congressional proposal and the executives proposal drafts. These are the two main actors or facilitators of the United States budget. The executive arm works with special agents to analyze and single out important areas to include in the budget for the fiscal year to come abbreviated as (FY). The president of the United States presents a request of the proposed budget to the congressmen of the nation on the 1st Monday of February. This is a state law and there are no amendments to it.

The congress after receiving the presidential budget then starts working on it. Both sides of the assembly then send out requests to other various bodies and stake holders of the nation to bring in their testimonies. The purpose of this process is to provide a resolution. Upon reaching a resolution budget then an appropriation seating is called upon to reconcile both the senate and the house drafts and then a final budget plan is sent to the president for signing.
             
 Conflicts in the budgetary process are always eminent. The senates version and the version of the house are never the same. Different leaders have different opinions and interest on certain matters regarding the budget. These conflicts arise due to either personal or political interests in various organizations. A congressman with an insurable interest in a certain corporation will support an opinion judging on its favor. The current budget was faced by the bank bail out plan which roared a major disagreement between both sides.

The governor of New York on municipal aid
The state of New York governor was recently quoted threatening the municipal council of deemed possibilities in withholding funds allocated to it.  He said he had already ordered the arm responsible for budgeting in the state to hold the funds in order to avoid projected bankruptcy in the financial accounts of the state.

The governor is reacting to a  3.2 billion figure (peters, 2009, p.2) that the state is operating deficit to. According to analysts, this is a wise move to save the people of the state from increased taxes. Conflicts relating to the matter at hand are based on the failure by the legislatures drafted plan to cut down the deficit (peters, 2009, p.2). The move received criticisms from various human rights bodies because it entailed the cutting down of benefits given to helpless people and even HIV and AIDS kitties.  If this move pounces in to action then various public schools serving the whole of new York will be forced to shut their gates due to lack of funds. This includes the five giant schools serving the five districts of New York (peters, 2009, p.3). The governor argued his move stating that these schools have been receiving huge chunks of money and they should have made savings.
             
The state of New York is one of the states who have adopted various methods to adopt the purposes of the budget. First, currently the governor of New York Mr. Peterson announced a cut in funds allocated to the municipal council in order to bridge the deficit in the national budget and restore the states fiscal abilities. The state of New York has drafted a cut in local assistance except the cunny agency. This will help reduce expenditure in the crunched budget. This cuts are to be imposed to the across the board mental hygiene program, across the board public safety and other programs supported by the state.

The state of New York has limited the amount spent on food stamp and other assistance provided to a minimal amount. The state has harmonized tax rates to encourage savings and investment in the region to boost revenue and reduce over dependence on government aid.

Federalism as an historical matter in the United States
The history of federalism dates back several ages. According to scholars in the United States, federalism was not initially in the constitution of the United States. The world federal means an alliance between independed sovereignties (Morley, 1981 p.24). The activities of a federate state are the opposite of a confederate state. A federate nation permits the state to have full mandate in its internal matters unlike a confederate nation. As provided in the constitution of the United States, the powers not possessed by the national system of governance are assumed by the state governance.  Federalism in America came to effect in the eighteenth century and has been in practice until the current date. In the early nineteenth century, the need for a stronger national government was experienced upon failure in some states to deliver effectively. The twentieth century saw a lot of power for the national government. This was initiated by the many events that occurred within the century. These events include the rampant series of wars taking in the consideration the WW1 and 11, the formation of various civil and human rights movements (Wibbels, 2005, p.132). Various leaders in the United States have contributed differently to the federal rule. For example during the rule of Bill Clinton, many powers given to the federal government were diverted to the state governments.

The United States system of federal government is unique in the following ways
There exists two spheres of governance and both of them are legal.
The state governments serve as allies to the main government.

Both the two systems of governance work closely in matters pertaining the interests of the nation.
Both the two systems have equal power in providing judgment to its subjects. Double or dual form of citizenship is served by both systems.

Comparison between the two forms of federalism
In the world there exist only two forms of federalism that is the federation and the confederation forms. Federalism is the existence of power in one political body in a federal government and its subordinate states. Both the state and the national governments have equal legislative powers over its citizens. This form of governance started in the USA and spread to Switzerland, Germany, Australia and Britain later on      (Fabbrini, 2005, p.46). In a confederate state, each entity retains a diverse set of governmental institutions.
An existing commitment is maintained throughout the divisions and the divisions do not exercise equal power over its citizens. The national systems use the constituencies as a link between them and its citizens (Fabbrini, 2005, p.46).

Pros and cons of federalism
Federalism comes with its benefits and setbacks. They include

Pros
It is easier to make and enact laws in a federal government
A federal system allows effective agreements in trade and promotes international unity in trade.
The federal system of governance is more powerful in terms of military and international security

Cons
Matters of local interest are some times judged as national making a little situation complex
There exists constant fear of rebellion against  the federal government
States lose their recognition under the degree of the national name.