Comparative Commonwealths: an overlooked feature of global governance?

Abstract

The distinctive contributions of the several Commonwealths— inter- and non-state—to global development and governance have been overlooked for too long. The four treated here continue to advance multilateralism and public diplomacy, having earlier contributed to the decolonisation of countries and communities. The anglophone Commonwealth was especially active in support of the liberation movements in Southern Africa, leading to South Africa's transition to a non-racial democracy and return to the Commonwealth in the early 1990s. Commonwealths' norms and values remain relevant in the second decade of the 21st century, symbolised by Rwanda's late 2009 admission to the anglophone family.