For some countries that are not that diverse federalism is superficial and unnecessary.
For others federalism is necessary simply because they are too diverse to function effectively under unitary government.
Most successful federal countries first were collection of independent of semi-independent nations that came together as alliance and then formed a closer union by delegating some authority to a federal government. USA, UAE, Canada, Australia, Switzerland are all like that. With asterisk attached Germany as well.
Most successful unitary countries are monoethnic and mono religious. There is little to no difference between people on the west and east side of the same country. Japan, Scandinavians, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary are like that.
Structurally unstable countries are dominant ethnic plurality or evenly distributed ethnic groups. No matter what system such countries use, dynamics always devolve into a tug-of-war between dominant group and everyone else. Each group always ends up thinking they are not getting their fair share and blame the other groups for that. Examples are Austrian Empire, Ottoman Empire, Yugoslavia, USSR, Russia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Belgium, Bosnia. Sooner or later, they fall apart.
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