Other Inter-governmental Organizations
Chapter – 6
Table of Contents
NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM)
- End of Second World War led to a new international order, dominated by two superpowers: the USA and the USSR.
- The USA and the USSR competed to influence other countries militarily, economically, and ideologically.
- Both superpowers engaged in intense propaganda and spent huge sums to sway countries into their respective spheres of influence.
- This led to the emergence of bipolarity in world politics, with the world split into two blocs, causing mutual distrust, hatred, and sharp rivalry.
- To counter communism, the USA created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949, a military alliance.
- The Soviet Union countered NATO by forming the Warsaw Pact in 1955, another military alliance.
- Both superpowers expanded their military and economic influences to Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- This created two supra-national blocs: a communist bloc (led by the USSR) and the free world (led by the USA).
- After WWII, some developing nations opposed bloc politics, seeking autonomy and freedom to determine their own course.
- India, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, rejected joining any bloc, promoting non-violence and peaceful cooperation.
- Indonesia’s President Sukarno and Egypt’s President Nasser joined Nehru in creating a world free of bloc politics.
- Their collective efforts led to the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which gained strength in world politics.
Origin of the NAM
- The idea of Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) was conceived at the 1947 Afro-Asian conference in New Delhi.
- After India’s independence, Jawaharlal Nehru initiated the movement, encouraging Afro-Asian nations to fight against colonialism and imperialism.
- The term ‘non-alignment’ was first used by Nehru in a 1954 speech in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
- In his speech, Nehru outlined five guiding principles for China–India relations, known as ‘panchsheel’, later forming the basis of the NAM:
- Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Non-aggression
- Non-interference in domestic affairs
- Equality for all
- Peaceful co-existence
- The Bandung Conference in 1955 gave the NAM its true shape, with 29 nations declaring their desire to stay out of the Cold War and adopting Nehru’s five principles.
- The Bandung Conference emphasized emancipation from colonial rule and urged newly independent nations to avoid bloc politics.
- After Bandung, the first non-aligned summit was held in Belgrade in 1961, organized by Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito.
- 25 countries attended the Belgrade Summit, which focused on peace, socio-economic development of underprivileged nations, and disarmament.
- The Belgrade Declaration on Peace received a global response.