The Paradox of Britain’s Isolation from Europe and its Close Relationship with the Commonwealth of Nations

Abstract

Brexit was an event that shocked the world. The fact that a European country like the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union surprised many people. The kingdom preferred isolation from Europe despite the fact that it is a European country with European characteristics. However, Britain had a different attitude towards the Commonwealth of Nations. The latter received a friendly attitude from Britain as it was in favor of strengthening the relationships between itself and the Commonwealth members. The kingdom also embraced the diversity of cultures within this association and welcomed its members in the British territory. This creates a researchable paradox which can be investigated. Hence, this dissertation addresses the paradox of Britain’s isolation from Europe and its embrace of closeness and diversity within the Commonwealth of Nations. This work aims to investigate such paradox and clarify why the UK wanted to isolate itself from Europe and remain close to the Commonwealth. This research asks the question of how come Britain chose isolation from Europe but stayed close to the Commonwealth of Nations while embracing the diversity of its members. One possible answer that can be provided to such a question is that Britain did so because it served its interests. This research demonstrates that maintaining close ties with the Commonwealth of Nations served Britain more than remaining in the European Union. This work also confirms that Britain stayed close to the Commonwealth and isolated itself from Europe because that was more convenient to the kingdom.