INTRODUCTION

• The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a coalition of small and middle-sized states from the developing world, mostly former colonies.
• NAM originated from the Belgrade Conference in 1961, with the participation of 25 countries.
• Over the years, NAM has grown to include more than 100 countries through various conferences.
• The non-aligned countries established a flexible organizational structure and hold meetings in different regions to address specific issues and promote their objectives.
• NAM aims to change the existing global structure and create a more just, equal, and peaceful world order.
• In essence, NAM is an anti-imperialist movement.

NAM: GENESIS

• Decolonization after World War II led to the creation of many small and middle-sized underdeveloped states in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, which faced nation-building and internal dissent.
• These newly independent states joined the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to address their development needs and avoid superpower influence.
• The Cold War created hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union, leading to military pacts and an arms race.
• The Cold War polarization prompted newly independent states to adopt neutrality and non-alignment, avoiding joining either bloc.
• Nehru (India), Tito (Yugoslavia), Sukarno (Indonesia), Nkrumah (Ghana), and Nasser (Egypt) were key leaders in founding NAM.
• India’s foreign policy focused on peace, freedom from colonialism, racial equality, and non-alignment influenced by colonial history and the freedom struggle.
• Pakistan’s alignment with military pacts like ANZUS, CENTO, and SEATO led India to adopt non-alignment.
• Arab leaders pursued non-alignment to avoid superpower conflict in the region, focusing on Arab solidarity and defense against Zionism.
• African states adopted non-alignment to retain sovereignty, support national liberation movements, and combat racism.
• Cuba’s decision to join NAM was influenced by the US military base at Guantanamo and a desire for political independence.
• Non-alignment is often confused with neutrality, but Nehru emphasized that neutrality applies in wartime, whereas non-alignment is about avoiding alignment with superpower blocs.
• Non-alignment’s main goal is to reduce conflict risks and promote peace, without joining military alliances or power blocs.
• Critics of non-alignment like John Foster Dulles and Stalin viewed it negatively, with Dulles calling it “immoral”and Stalin accusing India of being a “running dog of British imperialism”.
• Nehru clarified that non-alignment was a positive stance against military alliances, promoting peace and cooperation.
• Krishna Menon acknowledged that non-alignment is a negative term but holds positive connotations when seen as opposing war and military blocs.
• Nehru and Krishna Menon emphasized that non-alignment was born from India’s historical circumstances and a desire for freedom.
• The Bandung Conference (1955) marked the beginning of the non-alignment movement, officially initiated at the Belgrade Conference in 1961.
• Despite challenges like economic underdevelopment and military weakness, non-aligned countries became a significant force in international affairs.