The Revival of the British Empire
It’s an exaggeration, but something like it might happen
Note before you begin: I don’t support the British Empire. I’m just spicing things up with historical references cause I’m a nerd.
The vultures are starting to circle. With Brexit imminent and no trade deal with the EU in sight, Britain’s going to need new partnerships badly, and the rest of the world knows it. Even the United States has made it clear that in order to get a deal, Britain will have to deregulate food processing to match US standards and agree not to work too closely with China.
Britain might find its only convenient partners among the old Imperial family. A CANZUK agreement with Australia, Canada and New Zealand would be an easy win. It’s overwhelmingly popular with voters, and major politicians in each country have openly expressed support. Advocates cite the virtually identical government structures, same language and shared cultural values. A common market — if it got to that point (and I hope it does) — would be the third biggest economy on Earth and larger in land area than Russia.
Closer ties among the core Commonwealth Realms might have broader implications for the world, too. The future of the already-frail European Union is uncertain, and with the incumbent United States apparently resigning from its role as leader of the Western world, it could be an idea whose time has come. Four countries who really had no hope of influencing 21st century world affairs on their own could combine their voices and take center stage.
Such a union would present a smaller, more progressive and more outwardly aware great power alternative to the United States. Someone needs to champion accountable government and human decency around the world, and the US has lost a lot of credibility. Half a century of wars and coups, staged by successive administrations who claim to act on behalf of local people in places that they know nothing about, has become exhausting. The world is sick of the self-righteous, “city on a hill” nonsense now that the US is consistently outperformed by Europe on nearly every quality of life indicator. It’s political system is a polarized mess, it’s penal system is racist, and the murder rate is four-or-so times that of the rest of the Western world. The United States of America is, of course, still a great country in the grand scheme of things, but it’s far from exemplary. On the other hand, no one’s particularly excited about Chinese ascendancy either. In a world teetering on the brink of geopolitical multi-polarity, CANZUK could be a torch-bearer for democracy that celebrates multiculturalism, sees nuance and leads by example instead of direct military involvement.
Initially, only the CANZUK countries would be included in any open borders agreements for obvious reasons, but the relationship with the rest of the Commonwealth is a future opportunity. We’re talking about a block of 2.4 billion people so far. India’s economy will be larger than that of the United States within our lifetime, and sub-Saharan Africa, including giant Nigeria, is increasingly becoming an attractive and reliable place to invest. Strengthening the Commonwealth would also be an important check on regionalism and nationalism worldwide. As its less developed members progress, increasing levels of integration will become acceptable. Would formerly colonized countries go for it? Hard to say. There’s a lot to be gained on both sides, so I don’t see why not if we could convince them our intentions are pure.
