Non -aligned Countries Movement | Meaning & Concept [Explained]

We explain what the movement of non -alienated countries is and how it defended the political interests of Third World countries during the Cold War.

The movement of non -aligned countries defends the interests of developing countries.

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What was the movement of non -aligned countries?

The movement of non -aligned countries (MPNA) is An international organization that defends the interests and aspirations of Third World countries . The association arose in the context of the Cold War, which divided the world into two large blocks of countries that remained under the sphere of influence of the greatest superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union.

Third World countries They fought to achieve their political independence (During the era of decolonization that followed World War II) and then to break the pattern of economic dependence and need for foreign assistance.

The MPNA has its founding history at the 1955 Bandung Conference. In it, developing countries (which, mostly, had just obtained their political independence) declared the need for ally for them and refrain from being under the influence of the great superpowers to which they recriminated their imperialist actions.

In 1961, the MNPA was formally created at the Belgrade Conference, with strong determination of the nationalist leaders of Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia and Yugoslavia.

Currently, MPNA has 120 member countries around the world And, since its foundation, it has celebrated more than 18 conferences. It defends the principles of independence and political sovereignty, the resolution of international conflicts without the use of force and non -intervention in internal affairs of countries.

In addition, it seeks to dismiss the right to veto of powerful countries in the United Nations Organization to balance the political force of Third World countries in international organizations.

Historical context

When World War II ended, the two most important superpowers (the United States and the Soviet Union) began to compete for power and political influence in the world. This generated the appearance of two major political blocks: the western capitalist bloc, led by the United States, and the eastern communist block, led by the Soviet Union.

In parallel, World War II unleashed A wave of struggles for independence in colonial countries . The weakness of the European powers during the war generated the right moment so that nationalist movements could face foreign governments and achieve their independence. Thus began the decolonization process that generated, during the 1950s and 1960s, the appearance of dozens of new African and Asian states.

Together with the Latin American states that had achieved their political independence from European domain in the nineteenth century, The new states of Africa and Asia constituted what was called “The Third World” or “developing countries.” This set of countries had in common their need to achieve political stability and to overcome the economic weakness inherited from colonial governments.

In this sense, during the Cold War, Third World countries understood the importance of allying to defend their interests against superpowers that disputed their world influence. With the impulse of strong leaders who managed to stop the colonialist advance of the great powers in their countries, the first meetings for the alliance of developing countries began to be held.

Bandung’s conference (1955)

The initiative of the call for an international conference came from the first five decolonized countries in Asia: Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Ceylon and Burma. The driving figure was Nehru Jawaharlal, the leader of India .

The five countries decided to convene a conference in the Indonesian city of Bandung in April 1955. 29 countries in Asia and Africa came in total: Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Cambodia, Costa de Oro, Ceilán, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Philippines, Indian, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Jordan, Laos, Liban Libya, Nepal, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, Thailand, Türkiye, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and Yemen.

In addition, they participated as delegated observers from countries that still had colonial governments, such as Chipre, and Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Neither nationalist China (current Taiwan) nor Israel were invited to avoid the boycott of the People’s Republic of China and Arab countries. Nor was South Africa invited because its apartheid policy was condemned.

Bandung’s “spirit”

At the conference there was a unanimous condemnation of colonialism that still dominated in Africa and the racist system of apartheid. The commitment to fight underdevelopment and poverty of Third World countries was established.

Five principles were agreed, conceived by Sukarno and popularized by Nehru, which became the foundations of the posterior MPNA:

Respect for territorial sovereignty and integrity
Equality between races and nations
No aggression
No interference in the internal affairs of each country
Pacific coexistence

On the other hand, despite these common demands, the existence of three great faces faced was from a very evident principle:

The not aligned (India and Egypt). They condemned the policy of faced military blocks.
The pro-western (Türkiye, Iraq, Pakistan, Ceylon). They defended the possibility that each country was integrated into regional military alliances such as the Seato or the Baghdad Pact. These countries tried that the conference approved a resolution condemning all imperialism, including the Soviet, but failed in their efforts.
Both Communist countries (China and Northern Vietnam). Zhou Enlai, the Chinese representative, was enormously skilled by stopping the initiatives of pro-western countries and obtaining great prestige for Mao’s China.

The Bandung conference was a key moment in the decolonization process and in the attempt to emancipate the Third World.

The foundation of the movement of non -aligned countries

On September 6, 1961, it was held The Belgrade Conference in which the movement of non -aligned countries was officially founded . This conference was attended by 25 member countries and 3 delegations from observer countries.

There the fundamental principles of the association were established, linked to the concepts developed at the Bandung Conference of 1955. The objective was to establish an association that will play an active role in international politics and defend the interests of the member countries. In addition, economic cooperation was established as a fundamental aspiration for the development of new states.

On the other hand, attention was paid to:

support the self -determination of peoples,
cooperate with the nations that were still under colonial domain,
denounce the racist policies of apartheid in South Africa,
promote military disarmament,
strengthen the UN,
Democratize international relations agencies.

Also, the need to consolidate the influence of the organization in the international arena was raised and the creation of ties with Latin American countries (of which only Cuba participated as a member country in the conference) was proposed.

The importance of the movement of non -aligned countries

During the 1960s and 1970s, the MPNA consolidated its international influence and managed to improve its political scope. In 1963, the organization for the African Unit (OUA) was founded in Africa.

In 1964, the Cairo Conference was held, in which 47 delegations participated as member countries and another 30 as representatives of the liberation committees of countries that were still under colonial domain. In 1970, the membership of countries increased to 54 at the Lusaka Conference and this number managed to reach hundred countries towards the end of the decade.

However, The growth of the MPNA alliance did not mean a deep change in practice . In many cases, the organization was limited to act and did not carry out decisive policies for issues of international relevance.

Due to its principle of non -intervention in internal affairs, abstained intercede in critical situations as the apartheid system in South Africa, or the Vietnam War. In many cases, MPNA’s performance was limited to peace of peace or proclamations in defense of human rights.

During the 1980s, the MPNA crossed its worst crisis. With the weakening of the eastern block and, finally, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reason for being of the MPNA was strongly questioned. However, at the 1992 Yakarta Conference, a strategic change was raised in the principles and objectives of the organization.

In views of globalization and the international situation after the cold war, Third World countries saw their deteriorated economies and its weakened political systems. The need for political and economic cooperation among impoverished countries was rethink. In addition, the need to maintain the union to deal with powers in world reach organizations such as the UN was identified.

The statements of the movement of non -aligned countries

Throughout its history, the movement of non -aligned countries maintained the principles of struggle for independence, sovereignty and self -determination of peoples. With the progress of the decolonization process and the changes in the form of domination of the powers, the MPA recognized the importance of the economy to maintain the autonomy of developing countries.

While at the 1955 Bandung Conference the statements focused on the proclamation of the fundamental political rights of the peoples, at the 1979 Havana Conference, the issue of economic emancipation takes a central place.

Final statement from the Bandung Conference (1955)
“The Afro -Asian conference has paid attention to the problem of peace and world cooperation. He has examined with deep concern the current state of international tension with the consequent danger of a world atomic war. The peace problem is linked to the problem of international security. To this purpose, all states must cooperate, above all, through the United Nations to reduce atomic weapons under valid international control. In this way, international peace and atomic energy can be promoted can be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. (…)
All nations should have the right to freely choose their political and economic systems and their way of life in accordance with the ends and principles of the United Nations Charter.
Free of suspicions and fears and animated by the faith and goodwill of one another, nations should practice tolerance and live together in peace and good neighbors to develop a friendly cooperation on the basis of the following ten principles:
1. Respect for the fundamental rights of man and for the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.
2. Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.
3. Recognition of the equality of all races and all nations, large and small.
4. Abstention of interventions or interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
5. Respect for the right of every nation to defend themselves or in collaboration with other states, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.
6. a) Abstention to participate in collective defense agreements with a view to favoring the particular interests of one of the great powers. b) Abstention by every country to exercise pressure on other countries.
7. Abstention of acts or threat of aggression and the use of force in the matches of territorial integrity or political independence of any country.
8. Composition of all international aspects with peaceful means, such as treaties, conciliations, arbitration or judicial composition, as well as with other peaceful means, according to the free selection of the parties in accordance with the United Nations Charter.
9. Promotion of interest and reciprocal cooperation.
10. Respect for justice and international obligations.
The Afro-Asian conference declares its conviction that a friendly cooperation in accordance with these principles and development of international peace and security, while cooperation in the economic-social and cultural field would contribute to creating a common prosperity and well-being of all (…)“

Final declaration of the VI Conference of the Non -Aligned Movement (1979)
“1. The heads of state or government reviewed the evolution of the world economic situation and observed with deep concern that from the V Conference at the summit the economic problems faced by the developing countries had become more acute and were characterized by the continuous widening of the gap that separated the developed countries from developing countries and the stagnation of negotiations to restructure international economic relations.
2. Recognizing that the crisis of the international economic system was a symptom of underlying structural mismatches and a basic imbalance, aggravated by the refusal of developed market economy countries to control their external imbalances, their high levels of inflation and unemployment, thus causing the creation of new imbalances within the international economic system and the transfer of these adverse effects to developing countries Commercial, monetary and financial international. They stressed that this crisis is also the result of the persistent lack of equity in international economic relations, which are characterized by dependence, exploitation and inequality.
3. The heads of state or government highlighted once again that the struggle to eliminate the injustice of the existing international economic system and establish the new international economic order, was an integral part of the people’s struggle for political, economic, cultural and social liberation. The economic and social progress of developing countries had been affected, directly or indirectly, adversely by different form of threat, including threats of military intervention or the use of strength, pressure, coercion and discriminatory practices, often having as a result the adoption of aggressive attitudes towards those who oppose their plans, to impose political structures on those countries. Social and economic that encourage domination, dependence and exploitation of developing countries (…) The condition of these practices was, therefore, a necessary condition to achieve international development and economic cooperation.
4. The heads of state or government solemnly stressed once again the supreme importance that political independence had to consolidate through economic emancipation. Therefore, they reiterated that the existing international economic system was against the basic interests of developing countries, it was deeply unfair and incompatible with the development of non -aligned countries and other countries and did not contribute to the elimination of economic and social evils that afflicted those countries (…)
10. The movement of non -aligned countries, which was born amid the bankruptcy of the colonial system and the emancipatory struggle of the peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world and in the height of the Cold War, has been an essential factor in the decolonization process that has led to the achievement of freedom and independence by many countries and villages and the formation of dozens of new sovereign states. World peace. The emergence of new liberated countries that have opted for independent and rejected political development decision in block polarization (…) gave a historical impulse to this struggle for total emancipation. From its foundation, the movement of non -aligned countries has fought a constant battle to ensure that peoples oppressed by foreign occupation and domination can exercise their right inalienable to self -determination and independence; He has united his forces in order to establish a new international economic order (…) and has played a decisive role in efforts to maintain peace, promote international distension and eliminate foci of aggression or tension worldwide, and in the promotion of fair solutions for international problems. However, there are still dangerous and serious situations that force them to strengthen their unity, cohesion and cooperation to deal with common dangers and overcome those obstacles.
11. Taking into account the principles on which non -alignment has been based and, the subsequent elaboration of these principles at the conferences at the Belgrade Summit, Cairo, Portugueha, Algiers and Colombo, the sixth conference reaffirmed that the quintessence of the non -alignment policy, according to its original principles and fundamental character has the fight against imperialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism, colonialism Apartheid, racism, including Zionism, and any form of aggression, occupation, domination, interference or foreign hegemony, as well as the fight against high -power or block policies (…).“

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References

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