3rd Annual Conference on the Commonwealth of Nations

Theme: The Commonwealth and Geopolitics

2026 has seen a number of significant challenges to the post-WWII rules-based world order: from the continued erosion of multilateralism, the unravelling of the UN, the upending of the Western international developmental model, increasing defiance of international law, contraction of free trade, constriction of freedom of navigation, the slide towards authoritarianism and the use of force to settle disputes in international politics.

What space and opportunities are there for the Commonwealth, a self-declared values-based association, when confronted by such fragmentation of the broader international system? When the greatest dangers to international peace and security appear to come from great powers, what tangible benefits can a highly diverse association offer its middle power members and the majority of small and Small Island Developing States? Are there still spaces available for the so-called “Commonwealth Advantage”? Is there still any substance or future in the Commonwealth’s claim that it has ‘help[ed] the world to negotiate’? Can individual Commonwealth major powers ‘lead the way’ on action to protect norms and institutions? In a deeply troubling era of ‘hard power’, what are the possibilities for a financially constrained ‘soft power’ association?

Building on the success of the first two Annual Conferences organised at St Mary’s University, interdisciplinarity will remain a key theme of the day. Dialogue between not only academics from different traditions and disciplines will be actively encouraged, as will interactions between politicians, policy advocates, diplomats, and scholars.

Topics of interest for the 2026 conference include (but are not limited to):

• The Commonwealth and geopolitics.

• The Commonwealth and international institutions: mini-lateralism, regionalism, and multilateralism.

• The Commonwealth and globalisation.

• The Commonwealth and technology.

• The Commonwealth and energy.

• The Commonwealth and intellectual ideas.

• The Commonwealth and activism.

• Different and innovative theoretical perspectives on the Commonwealth.

• Interdisciplinary approaches to issues affecting the Commonwealth as a whole or its member states: including, but not limited to, climate change, democratisation, cultural exchange, education, health, human rights, development, civil society, media, information & communications, business development, and international trade. (Individual and comparative case studies of Commonwealth member states are welcomed).

• Comparative studies that bring the Commonwealth as an organisation into dialogue with each other, or non-Commonwealth countries

• Research applying innovative or historically grounded methodologies, ideologies, or epistemic principles.