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The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs is published six times a year.
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Contributions on these themes, to the Editor are particularly welcome.Malaysia: The 15th general election and its implications
From the Archive
The effects of the algorithms which lead social media users to more and more extreme content, and the role of social media in providing a platform for political extremists and the dissemination of misinformation, have become problems for all countries. In this article from ten years ago, Kiran Hassan (co-ordinator of freedom of expression and digital rights at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies) presciently analysed the role of social media in spreading extremism in Pakistan in the wake of 9/11. ['From the Archives' curated by Alex May and Paul Flather]
In this article from 25 years ago, the eminent political theorist Bhikhu Parekh (since 2000 Lord Parekh) considered the question of how a multicultural society comprising different cultural communities could develop a common sense of belonging in such a way that differences could be not only unthreatening but positive. He found the answer in constitutional accommodation of diversity, justice, a multiculturally constituted common culture, and a shared sense of loyalty to the political community.
As the Commonwealth looks forward to Samoa hosting the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this autumn, we look back to its independence more than sixty years ago, following its colonization by Germany from 1900 and then its administration from 1920 by New Zealand as a Leaue of Nations then United Nations mandate. In this article Colin Aikman, a distinguished New Zealand jurist and diplomat, surveyed the background to independence, and offered a hopeful assessment for the young nation’s prospects.