The Expanding Membership of the Commonwealth: A Case Study of Gabon and Togo

Abstract

The Commonwealth of Nations is a unique organization that comprises the former British colonies in history, however, since 1995, their membership has included non-former British colonies. The rationale for this study was to investigate the rationale of the two new countries (Togo and Gabon) for joining the commonwealth; the membership criteria used to adopt them and the possibility of norm tension due to their membership. This research is qualitative study and with the help of thematic analysis, it was realized that Togo and Gabon joined the Commonwealth due to the economic, linguistic, development and access to the pool of other resources the organization provides. Further, the study uncovered that, the membership criteria used was commitment to the 16 principles stated in the 1971 Declaration of Commonwealth Principles of which the two countries had committed to some of the principles and hence guaranteed their qualification for membership. Regarding norm tension, the study discovered that, the tensions had already begun in the Commonwealth over leadership, and commitment to the principles among others, hence, the two countries are not the cause of the tensions but have merely become additional voices to the tensions. The research concludes with a recommendation for the commonwealth to take a final decision on the headship so as to eliminate or rotate the position in other to ensure the continuous relevance of the organization in contemporary time.