ABSTRACT
The current Commonwealths of countries and communities, civil socie-
ties and multinational companies are increasingly diverse despite com-
monalities of history and language, perspectives and values. This initial
chapter presents an overview of these diversities which have generated
a distinctive political culture within the extended family. In turn, this informs the character of multilateral diplomacy around the Com-
monwealths: a novel version of public diplomacy given the relative
influence of their non-state agencies. The chapter concludes by exam-
ining the impact of Commonwealth groupings on several regional
organizations and by contrasting anglophone with other Common-
wealth communities, so comparing their respective contributions to
contemporary global governance.
