Transcript The Non-aligned Movement

The Non-aligned
Movement
and the emergence of the Third World
De-colonization
 As the Cold War began to polarize the world, many of
the major European powers of the 19th and early 20th
centuries began to focus on domestic issues, as foreign
affairs were dominated by the U.S. and the Soviets.
 Many states in the Middle East, Asia and Africa attained
independent status and sought to develop a national
identity, while protecting themselves from what seemed
to be an inevitable envelopment into the spheres of one
of the two superpowers.
The “5 Pillars”
 In 1954, Indian PM Nehru made a famous speech in Columbo,
India discussing Sino-Indian relations
 He stated 5 pillars that should guide relations between the two
nations
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Respect for territorial integrity
Mutual non-aggression
Mutual non-interference in domestic affairs
Equality and mutual benefit
Peaceful co-existence
 These 5 pillars are established as the Panchscheel, or five principles of
peaceful coexistence
Bandung
• In 1955, 29 states from Asian and African countries representing
more than half of the world’s population met in Bandung,
Indonesia, hosted by PM Sukarno, to promote economic and
cultural cooperation so that they could…
•attempt to stay out of the Cold War
•oppose colonialism
Bandung
 Issues discussed:
 France’s control in N. Africa
 Conflict between Netherlands and Indonesia in New
Guinea
 Rights of Arab peoples in Palestine
 Soviet control in E. Europe
 N.B. Chinese PM Zhou Enlai played a major role as a
sympathetic leader
Bandung
 Bandung declaration condemned “colonialism in all of
its manifestations”
 It also called for the equitable redistribution of resources
for the benefit of poorer states.
NAM
At the invitation of Josip Tito,
the members of the Bandung
Conference were invited to
Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961, for
a summit, where the Nonaligned Movement (NAM) was
officially established.
Key individuals:
Sukarno – Indonesia
Gamal Abdul Nasser – Egypt
Jawaharlal Nehru – India
Kwame Nkrumah – Ghana
Josip Broz Tito - Yugoslavia
Tito, Nasser and Nehru at summit meeting in 1956
NAM
 Three major focal issues emerged from Belgrade:
 In relation to the superpowers, the NAM seeks to find a
“third way”
 Protest against colonial rule in Africa and Asia
 The establishment of a new economic order and how to
equitably distribute resources around the world
 This agenda was to be known as the “Initiative of Five,”
named for the five key individuals
NAM
 After the UN Conference on Trade and Development in
Geneva in 1964, the “The Group of 77” was formed.
 These non-aligned states attempted to exert some influence
over global affairs in
 The Korean War (1950-1953)
 The Suez Crisis (1956)
 The crisis in the Congo (1960)
 The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan (1979)
 The Falklands War (1982)
 The Iran/Iraq War (1980-1984)
NAM
 Since its founding, there have been over a dozen summits,
member nations have swelled to well over 100.
 It has been called “histories’ biggest peace movement”
 It was recognized as a new “voice” in the world.
 French historian, Alfred Sauvy, coined the term the “Third
World” as representative of the non-aligned countries of the
world, which he likened to the Third Estate prior to the French
Revolution
 Like the third estate, the Third World has nothing, and wants to be
something. Sauvy in L’Observateur 1952
But…
What impact does the Non-aligned Movement really have?
Challenges & Failures
•Lacked economic and military apparatus to carry out
resolutions
•Many member states WERE aligned with one of the two
superpowers (e.g. Cuba w/ U.S.S.R.), usually the East
•There were many divisions within the NAM that stymied
their progress
Challenges & Failures
 In 1962, Sino-Indian border war breaks out
 In 1963, PM Nehru dies
 In 1970, Nasser dies
 In 1979, Soviets invade Afghanistan
Successes & Impact
 In 1979, Soviet Foreign Minister, Andrei Gromyko,
argued against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan by
stating, “All the non-aligned countries will be against
us.”
 The concept of North-South relations and the
responsibility of richer countries towards the Third
World (e.g. Brandt Report in 1980)
Current Dilemma
 With the end of the Cold War, the term “Third World”
is now obsolete.
 In 1992, founding member Yugoslavia broke apart and
was expelled from the movement.
 A couple of members withdrew and joined the EU, with
Belarus the only European member remaining
 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran) is the current General
Secretary!
 So…
Current Focus
 Resistance to a uni-polar world that controls the machinery of
international politics and imposes its will *
 Puerto Rican self-determination
 Anti-Zionism
 Sustainable development, debt relief & fair trade practices
 UN reforms
 South-South cooperation
 Cultural diversity and human rights