ABSTRACT
By examining the classical factors of federal state formation, this chapter argues that these factors need to be updated in light of the new international system in order to provide a comprehensive explanation of the origin and formation of the new federal models. Drawing on some of the recent work by Michael Burgess, it provides a historical investigation of the contributions of four scholars of federalism: William p. Maddox, Kenneth C. Wheare, Ronald L. Watts and William H. Riker. The chapter applies these classical factors to the Iraqi Federation in order to assess whether they adequately explain the origin of the federal state. One of the essential classical factors that contributed to the generation of the desire for unity and the desire for regionalism in the origin of the Iraqi Federation was the social and cultural diversity of the state and the hope for economic advantage.
