“SHEER BRAIN POWER”
Whereas some critics query the relevance of the Commonwealth in a post-colonial period and say it’s “a leftover of empire”, Scotland stated this was removed from true.
The final two nations to affix the Commonwealth in 2022 – Gabon and Togo – have been former French colonies.
King Charles, who leads the Commonwealth, stated in Canberra on Monday that the bloc performed a “vital function” on the world stage.
“It has the range to grasp the world’s issues, and the sheer mind energy and resolve to formulate sensible options,” he stated.
The summit additionally supplies nations with a chance to satisfy with out being overshadowed by “geostrategic anxiousness or competitors”, stated Tess Newton Cain of Griffith College’s Asia Institute.
“There is no such thing as a query that the strain and competitors between the US and China performs out in Commonwealth counties,” she stated.
“I think about there’s a little bit of reduction that the US and China aren’t there throwing their weight round.”
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Nonetheless, the legacy of empire will loom over the summit, particularly when leaders choose a brand new secretary-general nominated from an African nation – in keeping with regional rotations of the place.
All three seemingly candidates to succeed Scotland have known as publicly for reparations for slavery and colonialism.
One of many three, Joshua Setipa from Lesotho, advised AFP {that a} decision that goes past a “slender perspective of economic compensation” was wanted.
As a substitute, nations could possibly be given funding to assist them adapt and construct resilience to local weather change, stated Setipa, who’s vying for the put up with rival candidates Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey from Ghana and Mamadou Tangara from the Gambia.
“We will discover a answer that may start to handle some injustices of the previous and put them within the context occurring round us at present,” he stated.
“This shouldn’t be seen as a north and south problem – there may be collective curiosity in discussing this and collective good points available.”
