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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
In this article from 2001 New Zealander Ken Ross outlined the history of the South Pacific island states’ post-independence relationship with the Commonwealth. While highlighting some important Commonwealth contributions, he ended by echoing Arnold Smith’s observation that the Commonwealth was ‘only one of the available instruments of world politics, and sensible statesmen should choose whichever instrument is most appropriate’. ['From the Archives' curated by Alex May and Paul Flather]
The 1973 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was held in Ottawa. In this assessment and follow-on its host, the long-serving Canadian prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, considered the role of the Commonwealth and its strengths. He placed particular value on the opportunity for heads to sit down together and share solutions and areas of agreement: ‘We should not underestimate the immense benefits which flow from talking frankly to one another, understanding better one another, eliminating areas of prejudice and irritation, helping one another’.
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.