Future of the Commonwealth
Source: Hindu
GS II: International Relation
What is discussed under Future of the Commonwealth?
- What is the Commonwealth?
- The Relevance of the Commonwealth
- The Future of the Commonwealth
Why in News?
In addition to the end of an era for the British monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II’s demise, who ruled the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, also represents a turning point for the 14 Commonwealth states, of which she was the Head of State.
What is the Commonwealth?
- The Commonwealth emerged from the British empire.
- It was founded in 1931 and its present character came about in 1949.
- Fighting racism, gender equality, and human rights are the core agendas of the Commonwealth.
- Elizabeth became the leader of the Commonwealth in 1952 when she was crowned queen, three years after the London Declaration formally established the voluntary association in its present form.
- With 54 nations, nearly all of which were once British colonies, it is now one of the largest international organisations in the world, serving roughly 2.5 billion people, or about one-third of the world’s population.
- It offers a network to promote global trade and collaboration, emphasising advancing democracy and development and addressing problems like climate change.
Republics and Realms
- Republics and Realms are both parts of the Commonwealth.
- Except for five nations—Brunei Darussalam, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga—each a self-governing monarchy, the realms are headed by the British monarch, while the republics are controlled by elected governments.
- Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are among the realms.
The Relevance of the Commonwealth
- Smaller members who might not normally have much influence are given a voice by the organisation.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay - It also offers a possible plan for settling conflicts among African members.
- Smaller states can join forces through the organisation and possibly exert more influence over topics like climate change.
- They can discuss topics that are important to them on a global stage, connect with other members who have had similar experiences, and perhaps even enlist the aid of more affluent members like Australia.
- As evidenced by the fact that Fiji, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and the Maldives were either suspended from the organisation or withdrew of their own volition due to a lack of respect for human rights, the organisation is also important in conveying to the world that human rights are non-negotiable.
The Future of the Commonwealth
- People question if the late Queen’s successor, King Charles III, would exert the same kind of influence because she was such a towering personality and a powerful figurehead of the organisation.
- Climate change is one of the Commonwealth’s current top priorities, and the King is a well-known supporter of anti-climate change policies.
- In the future, it’s probable that Australia, New Zealand, and the Bahamas will all become republics.
- Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Kitts and Nevis are the other five Caribbean countries whose governments have indicated that they intend to take similar actions.
- Therefore, it is not improbable that after the passing of Queen Elizabeth, the Commonwealth states may become an anachronism and countries that experienced colonialism in the past, with all of the associated brutality and resource extraction, may advance to become republics.
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