The Commonwealth, or the Commonwealth of Nations, is a group of 53 states, all of which (except for two) were formerly part of the British Empire. The Commonwealth was created in the early 1900s when nations that were formerly a part of the British Empire began to secede. Its main goal was to ease the process of British decolonization. It was seen as a way of maintaining global unity through shared language, history, and culture despite growing independence and self-governance of former British colonies. Overall, 2.328 billion people belong to the Commonwealth, representing one-third of the world population. Despite massive geographic and demographic differences, these countries are said to be united through their common values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The nations who enter into the Commonwealth do so voluntarily, and the government of any member nation can withdraw at any time, without consequence or obligation. Taken from: World Atlas
Introduction
Commonwealth History and Timeline
What is the Commonwealth? – World Atlas
What is the point of the Commonwealth today? – BBC
The Commonwealth of Nations (Cambridge Institute)
Important Publications and Documents
Charter of the Commonwealth (2013)
The Role and Future of the Commonwealth (2012)
Official Commonwealth Secretariat Publications
Members and External Relations
Member Countries of the Commonwealth
Global Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations – James McBride, Council on Foreign Relations
US-Commonwealth Relations – Office of the Historian (USA)
Analysis on the Commonwealth
Commonwealth faces new crises but the end is not nigh – The Conversation
What is the Commonwealth if not the British Empire 2.0? – Afua Hirsch, The Guardian
Commonwealth of Nations: ‘The club of the 21st Century’ – Andrée Massiah, BBC
Human rights … and wrongs in the Commonwealth – Saeed Kamali Dehghan, The Guardian
Related Organizations
Institute of Commonwealth Studies
Commonwealth Governance for Development
Further Reading on E-International Relations
- Online Resources – The Council of Europe
- Online Resources – The Organization of American States
- Online Resources – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Online Resources – The World Trade Organization
- Online Resources – The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Online Resources – Union for the Mediterranean
