2025/12/22 by Vikramaditya Awasthy · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Culture, Economy, and Development Studies #Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics #International Relations and Foreign Policy
paper · doi:10.1080/03086534.2025.2605309
openalex publication_date 2025/12/22 · openalex created_date 2025/12/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This study examines how the British Empire strategically circumvented the most-favoured-nation (MFN) clause through the policy of Imperial Preferences during the interwar period. While existing scholarship has explored cultural and economic rationales for imperial trade, this paper foregrounds legal and diplomatic manoeuvring as central to Britain and India’s evasion of international trade norms. By analysing treaty language, institutional ambiguities, and the evolving status of Commonwealth members, the research reveals how preferential agreements were structured to appear compliant while undermining MFN obligations. It shows how Britain exploited interpretive gaps – framing empire countries as non-foreign entities – to extend discriminatory trade advantages without formally breaching treaties. India’s alignment with this policy marked a significant departure from its earlier advocacy for unconditional MFN treatment at global forums. The paper highlights the contradictions between imperial solidarity and emerging notions of sovereign equality, exposing the fragility of multilateral trade norms. These practices, often justified through legal fictions and selective disclosure, triggered diplomatic protests and contributed to the broader rise of protectionism in the 1930s. By tracing these developments, the paper contributes to the historiography of imperial economic governance and offers insights into the legal foundations of trade exceptionalism that continued to shape postwar global commerce.