Federalism is often presented as 'the animating force' of federations by way of diffusing political and administration power to more than one center. With the very principle of 'self rule plus shared rule', federalism is also hailed for its potential to pacify and stabilize nations with war-fatigue and conflicts of many types. In a bid to pacify the nation, Ethiopia has commenced a de facto federal form of governance in 1991 and a de jure federal system as of 1995. In the light of the mentioned values of federalism, therefore, this book attempts to thoroughly analyze Ethiopia's 'federal politics' in general and its twenty years experience in one of Ethiopia's peripheries- Somali region.