Tun Abdul Razak pursued a foreign policy of non-alignment and neutrality for Malaysia within the Commonwealth from 1970-1976. The Commonwealth is an organization of 54 sovereign states headed by Queen Elizabeth II. While not a political union, the Commonwealth promotes democracy, human rights, and peaceful cooperation between members. Malaysia has been a Commonwealth member since gaining independence in 1957. Tun Abdul Razak's Commonwealth policy brought Malaysia advantages like development assistance and understanding a common language of English.