Political Science and International relations - Non Aligned Movement.

"Where freedom is menaced or justice threatened or where aggression takes place, we cannot and shall not be neutral" - Nehru


Introduction:

The quote above pretty much sums up the policy and the people behind the NAM. It was this injustice that they saw in the world prompted leaders such as Nehru, Tito and Nasser.It was this that made them fight imperialism, colonialism and Apartheid. It was this that made them to collective come together in Yugoslavia and form NAM.

Here the collective part was important as no recently decolonised nation was powerful enough to fight its battle alone in the World stage. They either had to join a bloc or fend for themselves. This situation was amended by the formation of NAM which called for new economic order, World peace, Nuclear disarmament , Non proliferation.

While stating all these good Ideas, one must understand that NAM served an extension in many ways for nations to further their own political interest and perhaps this was the single most biggest reason that it failed. This can be seen in case of

1. Support of countries such as Vietnam for Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
2. NAM nations invading each other - [Iran-Iraq war], Iraq invasion of Kuwait.
3. It's inability in stopping China going Nuclear.

This national self interest, perhaps the biggest obstacle in international relations, is also the problem for NAM. Even while it is still relevant in a Multi polar, G7 dominated 21st century by exposing theories such as South South cooperation, the trouble rises when NAM member countries move to the developed "North".

China's deal with USA during climate change proves to show that national self interest trumps all.