Somalia and Federalism

The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies issued a policy brief in February 2015 titled "Federal Somalia: Not If but How." 

Based on a survey of 213 Somalis in five cities, the study concluded that the majority view federalism as the most suitable form of governance to decentralize Somalia because it facilitates reasonable power sharing among clans, enables regional autonomy and ultimately leads to a reduction of conflict.  A substantial majority views the current federation process as deeply flawed because it is largely an elite-driven and externally facilitated scheme that promotes clan identity at the expense of citizenship.