Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- A Framework -- 1. The Questions -- 2. Some Thoughts on Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict -- 3. Sources of Ethnic Conflict -- 4. On Negotiation for a Constitution: General Criteria -- Prologue -- I. The Setting -- 1. Constitution Makers and Foreign Advisors -- 2. A Lesson in Self-Knowledge -- 3. On Asymmetric Federation-and Beyond -- 4. A Parenthesis: On a Good "Gestalt" -- II. The Asymmetry of the Czech and Slovak State -- 1. Environmental Conditions: Geography, Demography, Ethnicity, Economy -- 2. Social Conditions: History, Religion, Culture -- 3. An Interlude: A "Contempt" Theory -- 4. Political Conditions -- III. The Threshold Issues -- 1. The Scope and Flexibility of Constitutions -- 2. On Modifying Constitutions -- 3. On Supremacy of Federal Law -- 4. The Constitution as a Symbol -- 5. On Secession and Referendum -- 6. The Constitution and Society -- 7. What Federation? -- 8. The Arena -- First Act -- IV. The Negotiations for Devolution (1990) -- 1. "The Hyphen War": A Revelation (January−April 1990) -- 2. Negotiating a Power-Sharing Law (April−December 1990) -- 3. The New Power-Sharing Law (December 1990) -- V. The June 1990 Elections and the Changing Scene -- 1. The Elections -- 2. Political Differentiation in Context -- 3. An Afterthought: More on "the Heroes" -- 4. An Interlude: The Federal Assembly, a Success Story? -- Second Act -- VI. Negotiations on a "Treaty" (Winter−Spring 1991) -- 1. The Proposal for a "State Treaty," "a Bombshell"? (February 1991) -- 2. Comments by the International Group -- 3. The President's Legislative Initiative (March 1991) -- 4. "From Castles to Manors": Presidential Talks (Winter−Spring 1991) -- 5. A Side Issue: Moravia-Silesia -- 6. An Interlude: Bratislava and Prague in Spring 1991 -- VII. Slouching toward Bethlehem (Summer−Fall 1991).

1. The Darkening Sky -- 2. The Referendum Law Adopted -- 3. The Republic Legislatures Take Over: New Bottles-Old Wine (September−November 1991) -- VIII. The President's Call to Arms (Fall 1991−Winter 1992) -- 1. An Appeal to Citizens -- 2. The Five Legislative Proposals -- 3. The Politicians Respond -- 4. The Federal Assembly Response -- 5. Some Thoughts and Afterthoughts -- 6. Coda: Behind the Budget Imbroglio -- IX. Back to the Republics' Legislatures: The Last Hurrah (February 1992) -- 1. Prelude to Milovy -- 2. In Snowbound Milovy: An Agreement in Sight? -- 3. The Milovy Text in the Presidia -- 4. "The Three Heads" in the Federal Assembly: The Dead End -- X. Onward to the Elections (Spring 1992) -- 1. The Campaign -- 2. The June 1992 Elections: "The Center Cannot Hold" -- 3. Monday Morning After and Hindsight -- 4. Prague in Spring 1992: The Last Interlude -- Third Act -- XI. The Lion v. the Unicorn: The Breakup (Summer 1992) -- 1. The Five Rounds (June−July 1992) -- 2. The Context -- 3. Round Five: A New Political Agreement -- 4. In the Federal Assembly, Again Referendum? (August 1992) -- 5. Round Six: Setting the Date -- 6. Summing Up: Spotlight on "the Heroes-Villains" -- XII. The Deed Is Done (Fall 1992) -- 1. An Overview -- 2. The Defiant Federal Assembly (September−October 1992) -- 3. Toward a New Form of Coexistence: Bilateral Treaties (October−November 1992) -- XIII. Back to the Federal Assembly: Facing the Opposition (Fall 1992 Continued) -- 1. New Federal Government Program -- 2. Dividing Federal Property -- 3. The Vote -- 4. Havel for President and the End of an Era -- 5. At the End: Again the "Extinction" Bill -- Fourth Act -- XIV. Constitutions for the Independent Republics -- 1. The Slovak Constitution, September 1992: Montesquieu Bowdlerized? -- 2. The Czech Constitution, December 1992: Back to 1920? -- A Comparative Parenthesis.

Epilogue -- XV. An Overview: Some Answers and Some Reflections at the End of the Day -- 1. Sources of Ethnic Conflict and Causes of Separation -- 2. On Eliminating Differences: A Taxonomy Applied -- 3. On Multiple Transformations -- 4. "Strategic Elements" of Constitutional Negotiations -- 5. Forums and Tactics -- 6. The "Intervenor" -- 7. The Last Afterthought -- Annexes -- Annex I: The International Conference, Bratislava, June 1991 -- 1. The Allocation of Powers -- 2. The Institutional Structure: The Parliament -- 3. The President: Back to 1920? -- 4. Ethnic Minorities -- 5. On Impartial Advice -- Annex II: Constitutions and the World -- 1. The "Opening" Issue -- 2. At the Federal Level -- 3. Constitutions for Independent Republics -- 4. Concluding Thoughts on the "Opening" -- Selected Bibliography -- Index.