Why stable Commonwealth partners served British economic interests

The argument begins by rejecting a purely benevolent account of British decolonisation. As Britain moved from mercantilist control toward capital investment and trade, direct imperial administration became an expense rather than the only way to secure economic access. Stable Commonwealth governments could remain trading partners and places where British capital operated without the cost of colonial rule. Rule-bound democracies were also presented as safer investment environments than dictatorships able to change terms unpredictably. The panel distinguishes influence through relationships and equipment from the costly day-to-day oversight of empire.