Will the US join the Commonwealth?
By Bob Small
Recently, there have been articles about the United States, a former colony of Great Britain, possibly joining the British Commonwealth, where the majority of members are also former British colonies
“In 1949, the London Declaration formally established the postcolonial Commonwealth on terms where republics were eligible to join without any allegiance to the British Crown. “ Charles III is the current head of the organization, though Baroness Patricia Scotland runs the day-to-day operations.
There are 56 nations in the Commonwealth many of whom will be represented at the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in 2026.
If Donald Trump is invited again to a visit, he would be the first US president to be invited twice to visit.
Part of the values of the Commonwealth are member nations who are committed to “democracy and democratic processes, including free and fair elections and representative legislatures; the rule of law and independence of the judiciary; “along with protection of human rights and freedom of speech. We should qualify on all accounts.
If the US became a Commonwealth member, we would no longer send ambassadors to the UK and Canada. Rather we would appoint “high commissioners” to represent out interests.
By the way, the first US Ambassador to the UK was John Adams, circa 1785.
There’s some wishful thinking that joining the Commonwealth might help to smooth over relations with Canada, the UK, and the US..
Not everything has been “tea and crumpets” for the UK and the Commonwealth.
This article suggests four items the UK could do.
If you search through your favorite AI, there is loads of information on the Commonwealth of Nations going back to it’s birth during the formation of the infamous Balfour Declaration.
This was seen by many as a continuation of the British Empire.
See also two Guardian articles:
What is the Commonwealth if not the British Empire 2.0?
Sunak was brutally honest, so let me return the favour
