India’s role in reshaping the Commonwealth

After months of planning that required the most choreographed of diplomatic skills, Britain hosted a lavish visit in April for the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by a summit for the 53-member Commonwealth, a large international grouping that comprises a bygone colonial power and those it had once colonised.

At first glance, not much happened outside routine announcements and ceremony. But beyond those, there has been a shifting of emphasis in Britain’s relationship with those in its now extinct empire, similar in many ways to the rebalance of power taking place globally. […]

Slow Steps to Progress