Because globalisation places a premium on all that the Commonwealth stands for. Like the Commonwealth, globalisation is about what we have in common, our common interests and our common challenges. In an interdependent world, opportunities and problems are increasingly shared - whether in terms of the prosperity global investment and trade can bring, or the challenges that AIDS, drugs or international crime can bring. Like the Commonwealth, globalisation is about the links between people, not just between their governments. The technology of globalisation now allows people to bypass the boundaries between their states - literally at the touch of a button.
International relations are no longer the preserve of states and their servants.
Today, the state is only one of many players, alongside businesses, NGOs, the media - in short, alongside the people themselves. That, too, is a working principle the Commonwealth already promotes. And like the Commonwealth, globalisation is fuelled and enriched by diversity. Whether in terms of the environment, of economies, of societies or of peoples, diversity is now recognised as a strength, and uniformity a weakness. That, too, is a core principle of the Commonwealth.