Non-Aligned Movement

The Non-Aligned Movement is a forum of states that sought to avoid formal alignment with Cold War power blocs and continues to advocate cooperation among developing countries.

Bandung Conference: The 1955 Afro-Asian conference in Indonesia that promoted cooperation and independence from great-power rivalry. Its principles and participants laid much of the political groundwork for the movement.
Non-interference: A principle opposing intervention by one state in another state’s domestic affairs. It supports the movement’s defense of sovereignty across politically diverse member states.
Jawaharlal Nehru: India’s first prime minister, who promoted independent foreign policy and Afro-Asian cooperation. His advocacy helped define non-alignment as independence from military blocs, not isolation.
New International Economic Order: A 1970s proposal by developing countries to restructure global economic relations in their favor. The movement backed demands for fairer trade, resource control, and development finance.
Neutrality: A policy of not taking sides in a conflict or remaining outside military alliances. Non-alignment did not require members to remain neutral on every conflict or international issue.
Belgrade Conference: The 1961 summit in Yugoslavia that formally established the Non-Aligned Movement. This inaugural summit turned earlier solidarity into an organized forum.
Consensus decision-making: A process in which participants seek a shared decision rather than deciding by majority vote. Consensus lets members with different interests issue common positions without binding votes.
Josip Broz Tito: Yugoslavia’s communist leader, who pursued independence from Soviet control and helped found the movement. His leadership connected European state independence with the movement’s broader coalition.
Group of 77: A coalition of developing countries formed in 1964 to promote shared economic interests at the United Nations. It provided a parallel platform for the movement’s economic diplomacy.
Non-aligned foreign policy: A foreign policy that avoids formal alignment with rival power blocs while preserving independent choices. Individual policies varied, unlike the movement’s collective declarations.

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