This was my initial reaction when learning that they had partnered with Common Purpose and INTO in hosting the CSC Leaders Conference I'm currently attending. Fortunately the first session after intro's and the like was aimed to answer this very question.*
Lindiwe Maseko, ex-Treasurer of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region - current Chairperson of Commonwealth Africa Region set out to convince a room full of skeptics that there is still some value in the "Commonwealth" brand. (Mentioning her name could be construed to go against the Chatham House Rule...but it's been advertised that she addressed us and what follows are my own reflections based on the conversations that took place)
If you need to know what the Commonwealth is check Wikipedia. For my purposes it is sufficient to state that it's an international body that have, in common, the fact that they were all British colonies. Of course, post-colonialism, we'd want to rid ourselves of all such institutions no? Well, apparently not.
Two possible reasons why it still exists:
1. So that the colonial powers can still exercise some control. From what was said it does seem like the Commonwealth (through it's functions like the CPA) does try get all governments to play nice liberal-democracy politics with each other. I'm assuming that pressure is exerted through mechanisms like aid provision and when someone doesn't play nice (like Zimbabwe) tensions arise and someone no longer gets to call themselves High Commissioners, but Ambassadors instead.
2. Common pasts = common futures. Would be nice if this was true but the only thing in common is the British colonies thing and Britain colonized most of the world so it leaves us with a great variety of experiences unless we all want to compare the architecture of our post-offices. To add to it Mozambique and Rwanda have recently joined the Commonwealth and they were colonized by Frenchies so there goes that.
So, how is the Commonwealth relevant?
It basically isn't...but...it exists and what most people have come to accept is that it takes a lot of money, influence, many meetings and private jets to get international bodies into existence so for practical reasons it's easier to try and get these to do what you need rather than kill them and start a new one.
It's not perfect, but it's pragmatic and a pill that I can swallow.
The task is then to make the Commonwealth do what we need it to rather than just have it as another platform for the developed nations to bully the underdeveloped and from what I heard today I think there is the possibility of this happening depending on the importance underdeveloped countries give the body. So essentially it's there and if you use it you can benefit and change it to serve future generations better and if not it will probably keep going as it has for the last 99 years or something ridiculous like that.
If you need to know what the Commonwealth is check Wikipedia. For my purposes it is sufficient to state that it's an international body that have, in common, the fact that they were all British colonies. Of course, post-colonialism, we'd want to rid ourselves of all such institutions no? Well, apparently not.
Two possible reasons why it still exists:
1. So that the colonial powers can still exercise some control. From what was said it does seem like the Commonwealth (through it's functions like the CPA) does try get all governments to play nice liberal-democracy politics with each other. I'm assuming that pressure is exerted through mechanisms like aid provision and when someone doesn't play nice (like Zimbabwe) tensions arise and someone no longer gets to call themselves High Commissioners, but Ambassadors instead.
2. Common pasts = common futures. Would be nice if this was true but the only thing in common is the British colonies thing and Britain colonized most of the world so it leaves us with a great variety of experiences unless we all want to compare the architecture of our post-offices. To add to it Mozambique and Rwanda have recently joined the Commonwealth and they were colonized by Frenchies so there goes that.
So, how is the Commonwealth relevant?
It basically isn't...but...it exists and what most people have come to accept is that it takes a lot of money, influence, many meetings and private jets to get international bodies into existence so for practical reasons it's easier to try and get these to do what you need rather than kill them and start a new one.
It's not perfect, but it's pragmatic and a pill that I can swallow.
The task is then to make the Commonwealth do what we need it to rather than just have it as another platform for the developed nations to bully the underdeveloped and from what I heard today I think there is the possibility of this happening depending on the importance underdeveloped countries give the body. So essentially it's there and if you use it you can benefit and change it to serve future generations better and if not it will probably keep going as it has for the last 99 years or something ridiculous like that.
There may be a strategic importance of having a strong voice in established international bodies like the Commonwealth so that you can use it to leverage for some sort of international justice. It would sound pretty powerful to say that the Commonwealth nations condemn Israel's attacks on Gaza and oppression of the Palestinian people and if that could pressure the real players to do the right thing towards ending it but in International Relations discussions "pressure" means little to everything so God knows best where that will take us, at least it's another avenue. (who am I kidding, if it didn't affect Zimbabwe, Israel will dust it off it's shoulder and keep walking...I mean settling i.e. invading)
I learnt other things in the process of the discussion: stay out of debt, sometimes you may have to chose between changing the world and your personal life, and struggle vets valued knowledge just couldn't pursue it...yet they're well educated...this furthers my argument that universities are horrible places for learning.
Peace
I learnt other things in the process of the discussion: stay out of debt, sometimes you may have to chose between changing the world and your personal life, and struggle vets valued knowledge just couldn't pursue it...yet they're well educated...this furthers my argument that universities are horrible places for learning.
Peace
*Disclaimer: I'm no International Relations student, my knowledge on these matters is limited, I should probably do more research before writing but this immediate expression is for the purposes of capturing my thoughts rather than educating any masses (including and especially whales).
