The Commonwealth consists of only a quarter of the world's states and yet the Commonwealth Secretariat and Foundation have made and continue to make a significant contribution to global politics.

Commonwealth is a superb examination of an often neglected but crucial force in world affairs. Timothy M. Shaw;

• explains the history, structure and future of the Commonwealth


• demonstrates the central role that the Commonwealth has played in advancing decolonization and supporting multiculturalism, democracy and human rights


• details the significant links between Commonwealth institutions and myriad networks concerned with education, development, gender, health, islands, literature, media and sport


• examines the Commonwealth within the context of wider debates about 'global' governance and globalization.

Timothy M. Shaw is Director of the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. He holds three degrees from three continents and taught in Canada for over three decades, mainly at Dalhousie University in NS and most recently at Royal Roads University in BC, Canada. He has also been a visiting professor at universities in Denmark, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Introduction 1. Commonwealth(s) - Inter- and Non-State: How Compatible? 2. From Decolonization to Democratization: Beyond the Extended Family to Post-Imperial Nation-Building? 3. Commonwealths Today: Towards Human Development, Human Rights and Human Security? 4. Commonwealths' Discourses and Directions: Pro- and/or Anti-Globalizations? 5. Commonwealths and the Competition: What Niches? 6. Commonwealths and the Future. Appendix 1: Official Commonwealth Membership and Year of Joining. Appendix 2: CHOGM Location, Participation and Duration, 1965-2009. Appendix 3: Commonwealth Organizations. Appendix 4: CHOGM Communique from Malta, 2006