Non Aligned Movement
Non Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an intergovernmental organization of states that consider themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. Most of the countries that are part of the movement were former colonies that liberated themselves from foreign domination. After independence most found themselves in an international situation dominated by Cold War alliances and the movement was formed primarily to ensure ‘the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries.’ Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the founders of the Non Aligned Movement and formulated its principles with the goal of preserving India's freedom of action internationally, through refusal to align India with any bloc or alliance, particularly those led by the United States or the Soviet Union. The principles of the movement are based on the Panchsheel agreement, signed between India and China in 1954 and emphasise mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in domestic affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful co-existence.
The movement had its origins in the 1947 Asian Relations Meeting in New Delhi and the 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia. India also participated in the 1961 Belgrade Conference that officially established the Nonaligned Movement. India used nonalignment to establish a significant role for itself as a leader of the Third World in multilateral organizations as the United Nations (UN). However, the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation that was signed between India and the Soviet Union in 1971 and India's involvement in the internal affairs of its smaller neighbours in the 1970s and 1980s, tarnished India’s image as a nonaligned nation. Additionally, due to conflict within members such as Iran and Iraq and Pakistan and India, there was little cohesion within the movement. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan also served to fracture the movement as some members supported the Soviet Union, while others did not. Since the end of the Cold war, the non aligned movement has struggled to find relevance and has had to redefine itself. It now focuses more on the socio-economic challenges facing member states and has identified economic underdevelopment, poverty, and social injustices as growing threats to peace and security. It also opposes foreign occupation, interference in internal affairs, and aggressive unilateral measures.
