For British politicians it has long been a cardinal principle of after-dinner oratory to throw in at least one glowing reference to the intangible strength of the Commonwealth, a globe-girdling club whose members are allegedly linked by spiritual bonds so powerful that they do not need to encumber themselves with rules or bylaws. But last week, as the leaders of ten nations assembled in London for the ninth Commonwealth Prime Ministers' conference since World War II (see cut), the ties that bind the Commonwealth were under greater strain than ever before. Said...
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