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The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and Policy Studies 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
On 1 April Shirley Botchwey took office as the Commonwealth’s seventh secretary-general. In this article from 20 years ago, while taking into account the constraints on the role and the effects of external conditions on the nature and extent of it, Stephen Chan adopts an extended ornithological metaphor to assess the leadership styles and achievements of her first four predecessors: likening them, in turn, to a Weaver (Arnold Smith), a Bird of Paradise (Shridath Ramphal), a Hoopoe (Emeka Anyaoku), and a Kiwi (Don McKinnon). ['From the Archives' curated by Alex May and Paul Flather]
This article, by Philip Kerr (a former editor of the journal), looks at the critical place of Germany in Europe 100 years ago even in defeat – a debate resonating today as Germany prepares to step up re-arming in the face of Russian aggression. Here Kerr argues for the reintegration of Germany through the League of Nations and a revision of the Versailles reparations settlement, and presciently predicts that ‘there is certain to be a great internal battle between the progressive and reactionary forces in Germany’.
The role of the Secretary-General is unusually important in setting the tone and agenda for the official Commonwealth. The last time that the Commonwealth chose a new holder of the office was in 2015. In this article from that year, Australian diplomat Matthew Neuhaus set out a clear and comprehensive reform agenda in terms both of aims and of organisation, much of which is even more relevant today.