Wherever the British have gone, they have left a lasting imprint not only on their language as a global tool of communication, but also on international relations of all kinds throughout the Commonwealth, on a talent for trade and advantageous exchanges, and on a way of life that still permeates fifty-four independent states and the northern part of the American continent. This should not be overlooked by the observer of contemporary international life.

In 1824, Louis XVIII, a restored Bourbon, commissioned Hyacinthe de Bougainville to lead a maritime expedition intended to take its place in the great voyages of exploration and to "show" that France was still present on the great maritime routes. Two frigates La Thétis and L'Espérance thus undertook a world tour that lasted more than two years. The crews discovered, not the world, but "a" world settled while France was revolutionizing and fighting in Europe: the British world had started, quietly, without serious competition, in India, in Asia, and on this newly discovered continent that Matthew Flinders, succeeding d'Entrecasteaux and d'Estaing, had recently christened "Australia". Penang, Malacca, Singapore, Hong Kong, were booming...and it was only just beginning....

If the XVIIIth century was "French", the XIXth century was British, because ^the lasting settlements in Asia preceded by about thirty years a sudden and tough interest in theAfrica and a fundamental influence on almost the entire American continent, even Hispano-Lusitanian, through trade, the search for fruitful exchanges, the circulation of money and goods .

For this is the secret of the influence: at the beginning, the English "comptoirs" did not aim at colonization: the proof is in Asia where the places of settlement are almost always islands or places outside the internal life of the people; the aim is to have commercial relays, secure warehouses, economic contacts. The proof is the weakness of the garrisons. Great Britain is a poor archipelago: it must therefore become rich, feed on the wealth of others, and set out to conquer goods and markets. Colonial ambitions came much later, after 1850, when France proved to be a "colonizer" first in Africa and then further afield.

Commercial ambition is a strong link: The traders of the time, and the administrators - one thinks of Light, Raffles, Brisbane - also brought wealth to regions that were growing, and a sense of rational management of people and goods that was unequalled: the British, of necessity, are thrifty, rather rapacious, materially inventive, and obstinate. Bougainville noted this in 1825, in reference to Sydney: "a sense of foresight, a global vision of society and its needs, a model ....".

In exchange for Western know-how, the English demanded "cooperation". Of course, all this was not always done in lace, but the local cooperative Princes soon saw their fortunes rounded off, weapons arrived, management made easierIn doing so, the English mastered the oceans, more or less creating the rules, a large part of which would serve to build the foundations of modern International Law.^[1]. The more the sea is free of state appropriation, the easier transit is. Unless we are "sovereign" over all the water? Under Victoria this will go so far as to create - legally - an Empire of the Sea.

The exploratory and utilitarian ambition would change in character and become more bitter, and therefore more colonizing, when the race for minerals and energy began around 1850: on the premise that by scraping the soil at home they found iron and coal, that they saw primitive populations, with derisory means, extracting copper, iron ore and coal from the soil.and so many useful materials for their enterprises, all over the world, in an indomitable frenzy, the British will start prospecting and scraping the earth, mechanizing the procedures: Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, all sorts of parts of Africa, reputedly impenetrable ("Dr Livingstone, I suppose?"), especially the South with its diamonds and gold. In 1911 the abundance of oil is confirmed in Arabia: Philby father arrives, seduces Faycal; then begins this game of power in the Middle East, still not finished, taken over by the Americans and of which we pay every day, for a century, the very bitter fruits.

In doing so, the British, whether English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish, Catholic or Protestant, abhor exoticism (while plundering it ): they will therefore import their morals, their domestic manners, their subtle social hierarchies, their detestable pre judices; they will replace their herbal teas by the tea discovered in abundance in Ceylon, the nannies by hamahs, the carriages by tilburys; they will impose white clothes on the children of their children; they will impose white clothes on the children of their children. all Westerners; they will tell that they invented polo (Afghan), disordered gardens (Hindus), jellys and marmalades; they will call their porcelain China , makeacclimatization in Kew, important in Europe for eucalyptus, mimosa, melons and rhubarb, fuchsias and the mania for ornamental plants, will adopt cashmere and jodhpurs. They taught the disordered warriors to march to the sound of the bagpipes, the men in turban to be butlers and porters, to demand to be "butlers" and "porters", to demand to be "butlers" and "porters", to demand to be "butlers" and "porters".to be served in silverware cast in England; they also allowed Congregations of all orders to settle, to heal, to educate. They created "hard" roads, (Mac Adam), bridges, tunnels, drew plans of cities drawn with cords, brought the railroad that revolutionized land transport and completed maritime traffic.

What remains of all this, of this stubborn activity that lasted about 140 years?

Much: first, when the time of decolonization came, the British withdrew almost everywhere without resistance, even offering help and assistance to young independents. They let the peoples divide among themselves, sometimes helping, as in the case of India, Malaysia and Brunei, to re-establish precarious creations. The natives remain most often grateful for this, and there is not (or very little), as in many former French colonies, this resentment, this hatred, an unfortunate residue of a bloody past. However, the British have taught the military institution to all their "submissive" peoples and it is sometimes disturbing, in Jordan, Singapore, India or Sudan, to see these military parades of national holidays, in the English style, with tartans and bagpipes .

Politically, the most important thing is the solid financial, banking, port, maritime, aeronautics and insurance "network", even if it has been nibbled away at by other powers, especially Japan and Korea. The sprawling Lloyd 's continues to insure and reinsure everything that moves on the planet. Its appendices and its very varied investments make it an essential tool for controlling markets. In fact, the British are only cautious in the European Union, and are careful not to enter into the facetious Euro: the foundation of their economy is the Sterling Zone, the former Empire, the whole world, and not at all the turbulent Europe. The English have their heads turned towards the rest of the world, as always, and not at all towards the shifting continental belly.

This gives rise to the idea of a Commonwealth which the French will never understand: the Commonwealth is a kind of "club" presided over by the Queen, which since 1947 has brought together the states of the former Empire (now 54): it is informal, without a written statute; the right of entry is the establishment of a "real" parliamentary system with respect for the principles of the Bills of Rights; the practice of apartheid is a cause of exclusion. The signs of recognition are the English language, attachment to the sterling zone, a significant amount of exchange with the British system, educational, cultural, university and military links: Oxford and Cambridge Sandhurst remain the flagships of the system. The Queen brings together - except in emergencies - the Heads of State every 5 years in a different capital. We talk among ourselves about common affairs, in evening gowns and tuxedos, we chat, drink tea and sherry, and take stock of the state of the world.

The Commonwealth Games are held every 4 years, used as the new cement of belonging, they cement with sport the clan spirit of the system: they will take place in New Delhi in October 2010; the posters are splendid, the tourist network is very efficient, and we will compete in these mysterious games.cricket, badminton, polo, field hockey, and other airtight - off-grass - amusements such as Guinness brown baked goods and raisin scone contests...

The Queen (or the British sovereign, whoever she may be) is a strong, highly respected link: she is still on many postage stamps, sometimes even on bank notes. She remains the most "portrayed" woman in the world. The royal family and the British government are very present in the news, in the press and in conversations. The longevity of the reign of Elizabeth II (since 1953) is comparable to that of Victoria, and contributes greatly to the intangibility of the moral bond. Moreover, even in Great Britain, never before had the Windsor family enjoyed such popularity, maintained with great professionalism: It was the Duke of Edinburgh, in his time, at the beginning of his wife's reign, who remarked that "to be sovereign, even constitutionally and without real power, was a profession". All European monarchies, as well as Jordan, Brunei and others, have adopted this pattern. And the Queen loves horses and dogs: every citizen of the Commonwealth, from Melbourne to Toronto, from Kuala Lumpur to Nairobi, has a passion for agility andsteeplechases. There are also beautiful cars, those kind of strongboxes on wheels, Rolls and Jaguars (two brands bought by the Indian group Tata; what a revenge!), car racing, Stirling Moss and Jack Brahbam, Mac Laren and Lotus.

Finally, there is language and morals: which leads to literature, entertainment,radio, cinema, television and computers: language is the undeniable bridge between the two sides of the Atlantic, and the United States, especially the founding Northeastern states, remains Britain's wonder child, despite the fury and the War of Independence (or because of it). As such, the British remain the privileged partners of the world leader. No need for a translator...The links of learning and excellence are infinite, cross, woven in a subtle network of Associations, Clubs, Lodges, Schools, Universities, codes of conduct, rites of passage as esoteric as they are solid. It would take several volumes to describe their meanders.

Linked to all this, finally, is the Times with all its local variants: every English-speaking person, wherever in the world he may be, between his scramble eggs, or his bowl of rice and his cup of tea, goes through this inimitable newspaper every morning at breakfast, which has often taken on an American format: While the local news may differ, the tone and style is uniform: you're sure to be in a country where the British have left their mark.

Then there is the BBC: British Broadcasting in all the English-speaking countries, especially those of the Old Kingdom, has managed to maintain a network, first of all radio, then above all television, of high quality and adapted to each geographical and ethnic sector. Wherever you are in the world, the local BBC will inform you without any preconceived ideas, and above all with an extraordinary openness to the whole world and a remarkable willingness to be positive: John Stuart Mill and John Locke went through this, as did the School of Utilitarianism. For the aim is not to occupy airtime, the aim is to "be useful" to a mentality, a way of life, a way of life, a way of being. a vision of international relations based, not on impracticable philosophical grand ideas, but on the strongest possible foundation of realism and collective efficiency. This link is extremely powerful. Presenters, reporters, whatever their ethnicity, are trained in London, then return to inform their country of origin, in a uniform, fairly soft style, assisted by local commentators. (When we compare TV5 we remain overwhelmed). In addition to information, there are also a number of documentaries in a wide variety of styles, and "dramas" in which the time of the Empire is often the dramatic backdrop. This mix undoubtedly makes the BBC, all units combined, and better than the peremptory CNN, the most watched and one of the most effective television companies in the world. It is also a major contributor to what is arguably the most spectacular contemporary passion on the British planet: football; the Premier League is undoubtedly the star of the screen, and the shops of Manchester United and Liverpool or Aston Vila fill the world with identical jerseys bearing the dreams of glory of all English-speaking children...

Rule Britania...

1] Which would later serve to build the law of air, then of space

Françoise THIBAUT, after having been a member of the central administration of the State, was a university professor, alternating between teaching, management functions and missions abroad; professor of international law at the Schools of St Cyr Coëtquidan, she contributed to the rapprochement between the United States and Europe.She is the author of numerous courses (international law, civil liberties, political ideas) as well as in-depth works on parliamentary regimes and is a correspondent of the Institut de France for the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences.