British Blue Ensign.
The United British Commonwealth of Nations, later the United British Empire or simply the United Empire, was a federation formed in 1906 by Great Britain and the British colonies of Australia, New Zealand, India, Victoria, and Egypt. At the time of its formation, the Confederation of North America was also invited to join, but Governor-General Christopher Hemingway declined, preferring to have the C.N.A. be only an "associated power".
Sobel still refers to the organization as the United Commonwealth in discussing Henri Fanchon's first diplomatic moves in 1912, but by the time Fanchon began laying the groundwork for his invasion of the United States of Mexico the following year, he referred to it as the United Empire. This may be an error on Sobel's part, or it could signify that a change in the organization's character and name took place in 1913.
At Governor-General Douglas Watson's special Cabinet meeting of 8 May 1933, Minister for Foreign Affairs Courtney Judd explained that the United Empire "spans the globe, but it is not as strong as it appears. Australia and India indicate they will not permit themselves to be drawn into a war which does not affect their vital interests."
In the Global War of 1939 - 1948, several member states of the United Empire were conquered by the Germanic Confederation: first Egypt, then India, and possibly Victoria, while New Zealand may have been conquered by the U.S.M. This left Australia isolated and dependent on its informal alliance with Kramer Associates, and after 1944 the Australian government left the United Empire and pursued an independent foreign policy.
The United Empire was revived after the detonation of an atomic bomb by K.A. in June 1962, and the British atomic bomb was tested in the Australian desert on 14 February 1965. In his final chapter, Sobel says that although Great Britain is commonly thought of as a major power, it has never fully recovered its pre-war vitality, and derives much of its strength from the United Empire, especially Australia, as well as its alliance with Japan. He speculates that there may be a union of the United Empire with the C.N.A. with North America assuming leadership of the Empire, or even that Britain and Australia may join the C.N.A. as new confederations.