Authors

Milos Rastovic¹;  ¹ Duquesne University, United States

Discussion

At first glance, the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War appears irrelevant to current international relations. However, looking more closely, we can see that the Non-Aligned Movement is vital to understanding the undercurrents of today’s international relations. In the presentation, first, I will explain what led Yugoslavia after WWII to become one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement and its role therein. Second, I will explain the foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement. In conclusion, I will clarify why Non-Aligned Movement is relevant to today's world.

The Non-Aligned Movement arose as an individual foreign policy commitment of certain non-bloc countries of southern and southeastern Asia (such as India, Indonesia, and Burma); Yugoslavia, the only European country; Middle Eastern; and later African countries. After the meeting of Tito, Nassar, and Nehru on Brion Island (1956) and their common presentation at the XV General Assembly of the United Nations, cooperation among non-aligned countries gained a universal dimension.

Because of the position of Yugoslavia between the Eastern and Western Blocs, Tito thought that he could secure the national independence of Yugoslavia and its communist system and values through the Non-Aligned Movement, and the way out of isolation between the two blocs after 1948.

One of Tito’s main ideas was insisting on the principle of quantity, not quality, in membership within the Non-Aligned Movement because he thought that with a larger number of countries, the movement would be stronger and more influential on the international stage and better able to impose its view.

After Tito’s death (1980), the Non-Aligned Movement did not have the same kind of political cohesion within the movement, which diminished its importance in the world.