NAM: From Bandung to Havana

The 14th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement began on Friday with the participation of a record 116 Heads of States/Governments. As one summit after another was held in the 1960s and 1970s, "non alignment", turned already the "Movement of Non-Aligned Countries" that included nearly all Asian and African countries, was becoming a forum of coordination to struggle for the respect of the economic and political rights of the developing world. After the attainment of independence, the Conferences expressed a growing concern over economic issues as well as strictly political matters.

Acting Cuban President Raul Castro gives a speech during the first plenary session of the summit of Non-Aligned nations, in Havana September 15, 2006. Reuters

The first summit of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries was convened by the then leaders of India, Indonesia, the United Arab Republic (Egypt and Syria) and Yugoslavia and Sri Lanka has been one of the leading participants of this new movement since then. On April 26, 1961, the Presidents of the United Arab Republic (Gamal Abdul Nasser) and Yugoslavia (Marshal Tito) addressed the Heads of State and Government of 21 "non-Aligned" countries and suggested that, taking recent world events and the rise of international tensions into account, a conference should be held to promote an improvement in international relations, a resistance to policies of force and a constructive settlement of conflicts and other issues of concern in the world. The joint message added that the President of Indonesia (Sukarno) reaffirmed the criteria on the need for such meeting.

This proposal took a more specific form by way of a joint invitation by the Presidents of the United Arab Republic (Nasser), Yugoslavia (Tito) and Indonesia (Sukarno) that was issued on May 18, 1961. Signed by the three Presidents, the letter also stated that the Prime Minister of India (Nehru) had expressed his satisfaction at having been included in the list of Presidents who were inviting the Governments of the concerned countries.

Cuba, where the Revolution had triumphed two years earlier, was the only Latin American nation among the founders of the Movement. It was aware of the historical importance for underdeveloped countries all over the world to make progress toward unity and coordination.

The creation and strengthening of the socialist block after the defeat of fascism in World War II, the collapse of colonial empires, the coming of a bipolar world and the emergence of two military blocks (NATO and the Warsaw Pact) brought about a new international context that led to the emergence of multilateral coordination fora that were promoted by the countries of the South.

In this context, the underdeveloped countries, most of them in Asia and Africa, felt the need to join efforts for the common defence of their interests, the strengthening of their independence and sovereignty and the cultural and economic rescuing of their peoples, and also to express a strong commitment with peace by declaring themselves as "non-aligned" from either of the two nascent military blocks.

In order to fulfill the aims of debating on and advancing a strategy designed to achieve such objectives, the Bandung Asian-African Conference was held in Indonesia in April 1955. It was attended by 29 Heads of State and Government belonging to the first post-colonial generation of leaders and its expressed goal was to identify and assess world issues at the time and coordinate policies to deal with them.

Although the Asian and African leaders who gathered in Bandung might have had differing political and ideological views or different approaches toward the societies they aspired to build or rebuild, there was a common project that united them and gave sense to a closer coordination of positions. Their shared minimal program included the political decolonization of Asia and Africa. Moreover, they all agreed that the recently attained political independence was just a means to attain the goal of economic, social and cultural independence.

The Bandung meeting has been considered as the most immediate antecedent of the founding of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, which finally came into being six years later on a wider geographical basis when the first summit conference was held in Belgrade on September 1-6, 1961. This gathering was attended by the Heads of State or Government of 25 countries and observers from another three nations.

The movement played an important role in the support of nations which were struggling then for their independence in the Third World and showed great solidarity with the most just aspirations of humanity. It contributed indisputably to the triumph in the struggle for national independence and decolonization, thus gaining considerable diplomatic prestige.

By the end of the 1980s, the movement was facing the great challenge brought about by the collapse of the socialist block. The end of the clash between the two antagonistic blocks that was the reason for its existence, name and essence was seen by some as the beginning of the end for the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries.

The fact that Yugoslavia was the chair of the movement in that period, during which the dismembering of that country also took place, led to a significant reduction in the activities of this political coordination forum.

Although the power struggle between the two camps has drastically changed, even at the present international juncture the principles and objectives of non-alignment retain their full validity and force. The primary condition that led to the emergence of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, that is, non-alignment from antagonistic blocks, has not lost its validity with the end of the Cold War.

Despite the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the validity of the movement continues due to several factors. The pressing problems of the developing world like strategic interests bent on domination grow stronger and even acquire new and more dangerous dimensions for underdeveloped countries. The defence of multilateralism, of the principles that govern international law and relations among States as well as the maintenance of international peace and security are by themselves more than good reasons to preserve and strengthen the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries.

On the other hand, the long-standing goals of the Movement remain unrealized. Peace, development, economic cooperation and the democratization of international relations.