'A Light Unto the Nations' - The New British Federalism, the Scottish Parliament, and Constitutional Lessons for Multiethnic States

This abstract is taken from an article entitled quot;'A Light Unto the Nations' - The New British Federalism, the Scottish Parliament, and Constitutional Lessons for Multiethnic States,quot; by Colin B. Picker, published in 77 Tul. L. Rev. 1-90 (2002). Reprinted with the permission of the Tulane Law Review Association, which holds the copyright.This Article explores the nature of the most important aspect of Britain's recent constitutional upheavals - devolution of power to Scotland and the creation of the new Scottish Parliament. The Article argues that this devolution has transformed one of the world's oldest and most centralized countries from a unitary to a federal constitutional system. In addition to helping us understand our own federalism through examination of another, the Article demonstrates that this new and unique federalism provides important lessons for regions experiencing ethnic conflict-such as Afghanistan, the Middle East, and the Balkans