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British Commonwealth: United Kingdom
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The Commonwealth of Nations is an international organisation that evolved out of the British Empire. It was informally established in 1926 as a result of the Imperial Conference, but was formally recognised under the terms of the Statute of Westminster, 1931. Between 1931 and 1949, the membership consisted of the United Kingdom and the Dominions. Republics were not allowed to join until 1949, when India was allowed to remain a member after becoming a republic in 1950. Ireland was a member until it withdrew to become the Republic of Ireland.
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Egypt, Burma and Iraq have never shown an interest in joining the Commonwealth, although they are eligible to do so, having histories of British rule. Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Oman similarly are not members. Other countries with historical links to the United Kingdom or other Commonwealth countries that could theoretically be Commonwealth members, but have shown no indication of a wish to join, include Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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Charles de Gaulle once suggested that France, though it was never a member of the British Empire (even if for centuries English/British monarchs claimed the title 'King of France') should apply for Commonwealth membership. This never happened. The United States, Egypt, Israel and Iraq have never shown an interest in joining the Commonwealth, despite their histories of British rule.
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The period between the wars brought the culmination of Canada's growth to independent nationhood within the British Commonwealth. Prime Minister Borden had been included in the Imperial War Cabinet in London. He piloted through the Imperial Conference of 1917 a resolution that the dominions "should be recognized as autonomous nations of an imperial commonwealth." To both the 1919 Peace Conference and the League of Nations Canada sent its own delegates. The Imperial Conference of 1926 confirmed in its Declaration of Equality that the United Kingdom as well as the dominions had become "autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another." They were... "united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations." These resolutions were confirmed by the British Parliament in 1931 in the Statute of Westminster.
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While the United Nations and its predecessor, the League of Nations, have not proven to be outstanding successes in world organization, and have not worked, the British Commonwealth system, without organization, without an organized structure, has worked. That is the abiding thing about this organization.
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