Although the question is not much asked today, there was a time when it was a serious political topic, though quickly relegated to the status of a subject for high school debate teams. First of all, for those who don't know, the Commonwealth of Nations is the largest international alliance in world history. The primary reason for this is that the roots of the Commonwealth are in the British Empire, which was the largest empire in the history of the world, including at one time roughly one quarter of the entire earth's surface and population. As the old timers could truthfully say, "The sun never sets on the British Empire". After World War I, and increasingly after World War II however, more and more British colonies gained independence and the various dominions and commonwealths began to desire a new form of equal partnership with each other and the old "Mother Country" of Great Britain.
The result was the British Commonwealth, which later became the modern Commonwealth of Nations, consisting of former members of the British Empire who share common bonds of language (in most cases), history, government (in most cases) and culture. The sole exception is the African country of Mozambique which formerly belonged to the Portuguese Empire. All of these things would also hold true for the United States. While it is true that not all of the modern USA once was part of the British Empire, the original United States were and it was this nation that the rest joined, areas which were once part of the French and Spanish colonial empires. So, the USA, as the country first consisting of the 13 original colonies, was once a part of the British Empire.
Language is also something we have in common. People in America speak English, at least the majority, and our school children learn about Chaucer and Byron and recite Shakespear at school plays. This is not something that past disagreements should have any bearing on. Consider, for example, the modern successor of the French colonial empire, Francophonie, of French-speaking or formerly French-speaking countries. Even nations like Vietnam, which fought a long and bloody war against the French is a member of Francophonie. There is also the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries which includes Angola where there was particularly harsh conflict with Portugal. The fact remains that no amount of conflict or political disagreements should cause us to ignore the rest of the world that shares a common language and heritage with the United States.
Some may argue though about those who live in the United States who do not have a British background or come from any Commonwealth countries but who have a totally different culture. This is a major point today since, in most Commonwealth countries, the people of Anglo-Celtic ancestry are rapidly becoming a minority as more people from Latin America, Africa, Asia or the European continent immigrate to the US, UK, Canada, Australia and so on. Multi-culturalism is the theme of our age and some might think that the US joining the Commonwealth would be a snub to all the non-British descended Americans, just as many misinformed people in Canada and Australia etc think that the monarchy is something "British" and does not fit in a multi-cultural society. However, this is simply a non-issue as the monarchy so many call "British" is itself about as multi-cultural as anything can be. Before it was the House of Windsor the royal family was the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha which was of German origin and as well as supplying Kings of Britain and Emperors of India also supplied the Kings of the Belgians and the Tsars of Bulgaria. Queen Elizabeth II has English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German, Dutch, French and numerous other strands of blood in her veins. Her husband is Greek from a royal line that originated in Denmark. There is nothing more multicultural in the world than the monarchy and the Commonwealth of Nations, which includes countries from every part of the world. However, we all share a common national history and common values and interests which we should all work together to advance and protect.
Also, contrary to what some might think, the Commonwealth of Nations is not some kind of autocratic super-government. All nations do as they please, in fact, the UN is a far more intrusive "league of nations" to be a part of than the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth also provides a structure through which illegal and unjust activities around the world can be opposed, but no country has any part of their sovereignty interefered with, which is more than the members of the European Union can say. For example, in the recent war in Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein Commonwealth countries like the United Kingdom and Australia joined the United States in military operations while Canada, also a Commonwealth country, chose not to participate (Americans should note though that Canada did participate in the liberation of Afghanistan and Canadian forces are still engaged there at this time). There are numerous other examples, but it all proves that being a member of the Commonwealth of Nations would make the US part of a global community and would not restrict American sovereignty in any way.
So, in short, there is great possibilities for mutual benefit if the USA joined the Commonwealth, we meet all of the criteria and would not have to make any radical changes to do so. In terms of our civilization, we are already more akin to the Commonwealth nations than to any others in the world, so why not accept the situation, celebrate our shared history and traditions and work together for the benefit of us all? From our dominant language, our rights, our legal system and our literature and traditions we are apart of the community the Commonwealth represents, so instead of remaining officially on the outside, why not join the Commonwealth and walk side by side with our British, Canadian, Australian and other cousins around the world as one family? |
