About NAM

• The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was formed during the Cold War as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral. 
• NAM was officially founded in 1961, at the Belgrade Summit, drawing on the principles (also known as Bandung Principles) agreed at the Afro-Asian Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955. 
• Such principles were adopted later as the main goals and objectives of the policy of non-alignment. The fulfillment of those principles became the essential criterion for Non-Aligned Movement membership.
• The ten principles of Bandung are followings:
• Respect of fundamental human rights and of the objectives and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
• Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.
• Recognition of the equality among all races and of the equality among all nations, both large and small.
• Non-intervention or non-interference into the internal affairs of another -country.
• Respect the right of every nation to defend itself, either individually or collectively, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.
• Non-use of collective defense pacts to benefit the specific interests of any of the great powers. Non-use of pressures by any country against other countries.
• Refraining from carrying out or threatening to carry out aggression, or from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country.
• Peaceful solution of all international conflicts in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.
• Promotion of mutual interests and of cooperation.
• Respect of justice and of international obligations.
• India is one of the founding members of the NAM. 
• The following are considered to be the founding fathers and historic leaders of the Movement: Joseph Broz Tito (President of Yugoslavia), Gamal Abdel Nasser (President of Egypt), Jawaharlal Nehru (Prime Minister of India), Sukarno (President of Indonesia), and Kwame Nkrumah (President of Ghana).
• Significance of NAM
• The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) provided a platform for newly independent developing nations to join together to protect their autonomy. 
• Disparate group from many continents broadly united around NAM’s flagship campaigns for de-colonisation, universal nuclear disarmament and against apartheid.

Declining relevance of NAM Post cold war

• De-colonisation was largely complete by then, the apartheid regime in South Africa was being dismantled and the campaign for universal nuclear disarmament was going nowhere. 
• The NAM countries being freed from the shackles of cold war, were able to diversify their network of relationships across the erstwhile east-west divide. 

Alternatives for non alignment

• For a few years now, non-alignment has not been projected by our policymakers as a tenet of India’s foreign policy. 
• However, we have not yet found a universally accepted successor as a signature tune for our foreign policy.
• Successive formulations like Strategic autonomy, Multi-alignment, Seeking issue-based partnerships or coalitions have been coined and rejected. 

Will Chinese actions make India shift towards alliance?

• In the wake of the current stand-off with China, there have been calls for India’s foreign policy to make a decisive shift towards the United States, as the only viable option to counter China. 
• However Indian government through its nuanced approach clarified that a rejection of non-alignment does not mean a rush to alignment and  India will not join an alliance system.

• The fact is that ‘alliance’ is as much a Cold War concept as non-alignment. 
  • During the Cold War, the glue that held countries of an alliance together was composed (in varying proportions) of ideological convergence and an existential military threat. 
  • With the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the Warsaw Pact, this glue dissolved and the international options of alliance partners widened, just like those of NAM countries. 
• The strategic interests of alliance partners are no longer congruent which is evident in the Euro-Atlantic alliance. 
• The threat to the alliance partners today in the Asia-Pacific is from an assertive China, which they are reluctant to define as a strategic adversary, because of their economic engagement with it and the huge military asymmetry.

Way forward

• India will acquire a larger global profile next year, when it commences a two-year term on the UN Security Council. 
• In that case, the strategic choices that it makes in its bilateral partnerships will be closely watched.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/what-is-in-a-nam-and-indias-alignment/article32555378.ece