ABSTRACT
Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar are diverse but fractured countries, living and recovering from long periods of civil war, which arose from the imposition of a dominant culture and related political and social exclusion. Chapter 4 analyses their formation as modern states, which provided an opportunity for transformative change, yet established a path dependence that could not be transformed until a constitutional settlement some 60–70 years later. In Nepal, federalism was of little interest to the key actors despite some ethnic groups advocating for such autonomy. With the battle for power amongst only the elite of the dominant group, ethnic accommodation was not a priority and a unitary state based on individual rights was established. In Myanmar, a volatile and finely balanced set of key actors allied to establish a federal system to secure independence from the British and prevent the breakdown of the colonial boundaries. In Sri Lanka, despite unique cultures, the absence of a secession risk and regional or ethnic infrastructural capacity meant federalism was not taken seriously and a liberal democracy based on individual rights was meant to provide for political equality, despite the concerns put to the constitutional architects at the time.
