Introduction Commonwealth membership at independence: threatening, irrelevant, impossible Chapter 1. Cameroon's official politics: reunification and diplomatic balance The assets and challenges of reunification in Cameroon The national and international politics of bilingualism Chapter 2. Cameroon's diplomatic bias towards the Francophone world Francophone identity and Cameroon's position in Africa An undesirable Commonwealth link: perceptions of Britain, Nigeria and Ghana Chapter 3. The Southern Cameroons and the Commonwealth: star-crossed partners? Independence within the Commonwealth: a very fleeting offer Reunification outside the Commonwealth and international pressure Development politics: the Commonwealth's continuing presence in Cameroon Chapter 1. France and Cameroon's international options for development France's heavyweight presence in Cameroon Towards the diversification of partners Chapter 2. Imperial preference in West Cameroon West Cameroon and British interests Europe, the Commonwealth and Cameroon Chapter 3. The Commonwealth as a valuable partner The influence of the Canadian mirror The Commonwealth, a champion for African development in times of crisis The Commonwealth's renewed appeal and the imperative of national unity Chapter 1. Cameroon's continuing Francophone bias The reality of reunification: from federation to centralisation Cameroon's complex relations with L'Agence de coopération culturelle et technique (ACCT) Chapter 2.
The Commonwealth and the necessity of Anglophone diplomacy Safeguarding national unity A way into official membership of the Francophonie Chapter 3. The democratic imperative in a multilateral context The changing face of Cameroonian politics The national and international instrumentalisation of diplomacy Conclusion Appendices Chronology of Cameroon - Commonwealth relations Bibliography Index.