"Multiethnic societies contain groups of people with varied traditions, languages, and cultural backgrounds. Frequently, the sociological development of the ethnic identities predates the political development of the state unit that governs that society. Whether the state was created as a result of a series of historical battles, a consensual coming together, or as part of an ill-designed decolonization process, many multiethnic states struggle with ethnic differences and face the choice of fragmentation or redesigning the government to better hold it together. Federalism is a form of governance increasingly recommended for multethnic societies..."