The power of non-alignment

The power of non-alignment

Article:

1. V. Paul is James McGill Professor of International Relations, has discussed, how the erstwhile soft balancing movement started by weaker states against superpower states is relevant in present scenario.

Important Analysis:

2. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of India and, the Bandung Afro-Asian conference in 1955, were examples of soft balancing movement by weaker states against superpower states.
3. The newly emerging states under the leadership of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru, Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser and Indonesia’s Sukarno, and later joined by Yugoslavia’s Josip Broz Tito, adopted a soft balancing strategy aimed at challenging the superpower excesses.
4. Evaluation of NAM or Soft Balancing movement:

• NAM is often not given credit for what it deserves because by the 1970s, some of the key players, including India, began to lose interest in the movement as they formed coalition with other superpowers
• Western countries often considered non-alignment as pro-Soviet or ineffective.
• NAM has helped creating several nuclear weapon free zones as well as formulate the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
• The non-aligned declarations on nuclear testing and nuclear non-proliferation especially helped to concretize the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty.
• Tradition of ‘non-use of nuclear weapons’ was strengthened partially due to activism by the non-aligned countries’ at the UN.

5. Despite all name and shame, the NAM and Afro-Asian grouping through Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament and resolutions, were able to restrict the threatening behavior of superpowers.
6. Relevance of Soft balancing movement in present scenario:

• Great powers are once again launching a new round of nuclear arms race.
• Territorial expansion and militarization of the oceans e.g. China
• Military conflict in the South China Sea and Naval competition continue on rising.
• If the present trend continue, international order could deteriorate and new forms of cold and hot wars could develop.
• S building islets and military bases in the South China Sea and expanding its naval interests into the Indian Ocean may result into start of cold war between U.S and China
• Smaller states would be the first to suffer if there is a war in the Asia-Pacific or an intense Cold War between U.S and China.

7. Recommended Strategy to contain Superpowers:

• Engage countries in soft balancing and develop a new ‘Bandung spirit’
• China, the U.S. and Russia need to be balanced and restrained from any activity which may ignite the cold war situation.
• Keep China off militarily by refusing base facilities and also smartly bargaining with India and Japan for additional economic support.
• Restraining the U.S. and Russia from aggravating military conflict in Asia-Pacific.
• Formulate Institutional mechanism to restrain the rising powers.

8. Challenges involving into giving birth to such movement:

• The rise of China and India, having their own ambitious agendas, makes it difficult to take the lead in organizing such a movement.
• China influence through Border Road initiative has left limited choices to developing countries in the region to act against China aggression.