The Commonwealth in world affairs

The Commonwealth does not act as a bloc in world affairs. In the United Nations, for example, some Commonwealth countries, such as Canada, usually support the United States and Britain, while others do not. Members of the Commonwealth are free to join other international or regional organizations. Britain and Canada, for example, are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The African members have all joined the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and Guyana, Canada, and the Caribbean countries are members of the Organization of American States (OAS).

In 1971 the Commonwealth set forth the Singapore Declaration of shared principles that included commitments to peace, individual liberty, freedom from racism, international cooperation, and economic and social development. These commitments were reaffirmed in the Harare Declaration in 1991, which emphasized democracy and human rights. To deal with serious and persistent violations of these principles, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) was set up in 1995. It includes eight ministers who assess the extent of violations and recommend measures for collective action. The Commonwealth can enforce these principles with such punitive measures as economic sanctions or suspension from involvement in the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth’s efforts to promote democracy have encouraged a number of its members with military regimes to convert to civilian governments.

Commonwealth of Nations, voluntary association of Great Britain and its dependencies, certain former British dependencies that are now sovereign states and their dependencies, and the associated states (states with full internal government but whose external relations are governed by Britain). At its foundation under the Statute of Westminster (see Westminster, Statutes of) in 1931, the Commonwealth was composed of Great Britain, the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland), Canada, Newfoundland (since 1949 part of Canada), Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. As of 1995, the other sovereign members (with date of entry) were: India (1947), Pakistan (1947), Sri Lanka (as Ceylon, 1948), Ghana (1957), Malaysia (as Federation of Malaya, 1957), Nigeria (1960), Cyprus (1961), Sierra Leone (1961), Tanzania (as Tanganyika, 1961), Jamaica (1962), Trinidad and Tobago (1962), Uganda (1962), Kenya (1963), Malawi (1964), Zambia (1964), Malta (1964), The Gambia (1965), Singapore (1965), Guyana (1966), Botswana (1966), Lesotho (1966), Barbados (1966), Antigua and Barbuda (1967), Dominica (1967), Saint Kitts and Nevis (1967), Saint Lucia (1967), Nauru (1968), Mauritius (1968), Swaziland (1968), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1969), Samoa (1970), Tonga (1970), Bangladesh (1972), Bahamas (1973), Grenada (1974), Papua New Guinea (1975), Seychelles (1976), Solomon Islands (1978), Tuvalu (1978), Kiribati (1979), Vanuatu (1980), Zimbabwe (1980), Belize (1981), Brunei (1984), Maldives (1985), Namibia (1990), Cameroon (1995), and Mozambique (1995; a former Portuguese colony and the first Commonwealth member never to have been under British authority even in part). Ireland, South Africa, Pakistan, Fiji, and Zimbabwe all withdrew at different times; all but Ireland and Zimbabwe have rejoined. In addition, Nigeria's membership was suspended (1995–99) because of the country's human-rights abuses; Sierra Leone was suspended (1997–98) when it was under military rule; Pakistan was suspended (1999–2004) following a military coup and (2007–8) following the imposition of emergency rule; Zimbabwe was suspended for a year following the widely criticized presidential election of 2002 and when the suspension was extended in 2003, Zimbabwe withdrew; and Fiji has been suspended several times following coups, most recently beginning in 2006.

Emblem and flag of the Commonwealth of Nations

The flag consists of the Commonwealth symbol in gold on a blue field. The symbol centres on a globe, representing the global nature of the Commonwealth and the breadth of its membership. The globe is surrounded by 61 radiating, approximately quadrilateral, spears, which form a 'C' for 'Commonwealth'. The number of spears does not represent the number of member states (there have never been 61 members); instead, the large number represents the many ways in which the Commonwealth cooperates around the world.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-24