Should History Limit the Commonwealth?

Members of the Commonwealth are predominantly linked by their history with the British Empire, but should this be the limit of the Commonwealth? Should other countries that sign up to the association's beliefs be welcomed into the club?

The Commonwealth’s focus on multi party democracy, human rights, the rule of law, good governance, free press, and socially responsible market orientated policies give it a strong legitimacy in today’s world and allows for the association to become an even stronger force for good.

The shared use of the English language is one of the Commonwealths strongest features. Alongside similar administrative, legal and financial practices it makes doing business in the commonwealth easy. The Shared language makes for the easy and equitable transfer of knowledge around the associations nations.

I see no reason why the Commonwealth should not expand to encompass all nations that share similar views and follow similar practices. Perhaps commonwealth expansion should be one of the topics in the Royal Commonwealth Societies ‘Commonwealth Conversation’ after all a bigger commonwealth would be good for business.