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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
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]
One of the key tasks of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa will be to choose a new Secretary-General in succession to Baroness Scotland. In this article from 2017 veteran Commonwealth observer Mark Robinson compared the practices of the Commonwealth and the United Nations, and argued for greater clarity and transparency in the Commonwealth’s rules.
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.