The
Non-Aligned Movement (
NAM) is an
international organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major
power bloc. It was founded in April 1955; as of 2007, it has 118 members. The purpose of the organization as stated in the
Havana Declaration of 1979 is to ensure "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against
imperialism,
colonialism,
neo-colonialism,
racism,
Zionism, and all forms of foreign aggression,
occupation, domination, interference or
hegemony as well as against
great power and bloc politics."
[1] They represent nearly two-thirds of the
United Nations's members and comprise 55 percent of the world population, particularly countries considered to be
developing or part of the
third world’
[2].
Members have, at various times, included Yugoslavia, India, Ghana, Pakistan, Algeria, Libya, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Indonesia, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, post-1994 South Africa, Iran, Malaysia, and, for a time, the People's Republic of China. Brazil has never been a formal member of the movement, but shares many of the aims of NAM and frequently sends observers to the Non-Aligned Movement's summits. While the organization was intended to be as close an alliance as NATO or the Warsaw Pact, it has little cohesion and many of its members were actually quite closely aligned with one or another of the great powers. For example, Cuba was closely aligned with the former Soviet Union during the Cold War era. Additionally, some members were involved in serious conflicts with other members (e.g. India and Pakistan, Iran and Iraq). The movement fractured from its own internal contradictions when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. While the Soviet allies supported the invasion, other members (particularly Islamic nations) of the movement did not.
The Non-Aligned Movement was formed as an attempt to thwart the Cold War[3] and has struggled to find relevance after the Cold War ended. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, a founding member, its successor states of Yugoslavia have expressed little interest in membership, though some have observer status. In 2004, Malta and Cyprus ceased to be members and joined the European Union.
Independent countries,who chose not to join any of the Cold War blocs, were also known as nonaligned nations.[citation needed] Some nations, such as India and Indonesia, were able to maintain their neutrality. But others took sides with the superpowers or played competing sides against each other.
