The relevance of the Commonwealth to Malta's foreign policy

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a deep insight on the international involvement of Malta in the multilateral fora of the Commonwealth. Malta's foreign policy is focused on consolidating its commitment in the search for international peace, political dialogue, development, security and cooperation. In this study I have sought to demonstrate how Malta's involvement in the Commonwealth complements the pursuit of these foreign policy goals. Malta's participation in the Commonwealth dates back to even prior to independence when Malta embraced a rigorous foreign policy aimed at participating and contributing effectively together with other partners in international organisations. In recent years, the relevance of the Commonwealth in a post-Cold War world has been questioned. A good number of countries have developed beyond recognition, as they are now indicating that they are emerging out of the post-colonial era. With the end of the Cold War, the East-West divide gave way to a North-South divide that is well-pronounced in a Commonwealth context in which the priorities of developing and developed countries diverge. In seeking to bridge these divides, Malta considers the Commonwealth as a major actor with its unique characteristics that embrace diversity and democracy. The main objective of this dissertation is to analyse how Malta as a small state in the ambit of International Relations, exercises multilateral diplomacy through its participation within the Commonwealth as an international organisation. Beyond the meticulous scrutiny of small state foreign policy prospects, domestic and international developments and the overall organisation of the Commonwealth I sought to highlight the role of Malta in the Commonwealth by sustained references to the history of its participation in this forum. By considering the contributions and initiatives of the Government of Malta in the Commonwealth, I traced the relevance of the Commonwealth to Malta's foreign policy, which is at times underrated. The main body of this dissertation deals with Malta's role in the Commonwealth and the latter's significance and support to Malta's development. Indeed this study goes beyond the analysis of the role of the Commonwealth, since it seeks to establish the relevance of the organisation to Malta especially following CHOGM 2005 and in the run-up to CHOGM 2015 in Malta.