A review of the Commonwealth Secretariat's organization, resources and performance together with an exploration of the role of the Secretary-General and a discussion of the problems of financial stringency and political strain over South Africa. It is aimed at specialists and general readers.

The shape and character of the modern Commonwealth; the secretariat - organization and resources; the office of Commonwealth secretary-general; the secretariat at work - economic affairs, food production and rural development, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC), fellowships and training, the Technical Assistance Group (TAG), export market development, industrial development; co-operation in social and professional fields - education, health, management development, law, the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC), the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), women and development; international affairs - the political dimension - membership, consular relations, human rights, the problems of the small States, political field work, crisis and controversy in the Commonwealth context - Nigeria, Cyprus, Grenada; Southern African problems - Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, the front line states and SADCC, South Africa.