Non-Aligned Movement

/nɒn əˈlaɪnd ˈmuːvmənt/

A forum of states that refused to formally align with either the Western (US-led) or Eastern (Soviet-led) bloc during the Cold War — founded at the First Summit in Belgrade (1--6 September 1961) by Nehru, Tito, Nasser, Nkrumah, and Sukarno, with 25 member nations; today it has 120 members, the largest grouping of states outside the United Nations.

What is the Non-Aligned Movement?

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an international forum of 120 developing nations that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. It was formally established at the First Summit held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, from 1-6 September 1961, during the height of the Cold War.

NAM was founded under the leadership of five key statesmen: Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), and Sukarno (Indonesia). The movement's ideological roots trace back to the Bandung Conference (1955) in Indonesia, where 29 Asian and African nations articulated principles of Afro-Asian solidarity and anti-colonialism.

The NAM's Five Principles (derived from Panchsheel) are: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. The First Summit was attended by 25 founding member nations. NAM remains the second-largest grouping of states after the United Nations and continues to advocate for the interests of developing nations.

Key Features

#	Feature	Details
1	Founded	1-6 September 1961, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
2	Founding Leaders	Tito (Yugoslavia), Nehru (India), Nasser (Egypt), Nkrumah (Ghana), Sukarno (Indonesia)
3	Founding Members	25 nations at the First Belgrade Summit
4	Current Membership	120 member states (as of 2024)
5	Precursor	Bandung Conference (1955), Indonesia -- Afro-Asian solidarity
6	Five Principles	Sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, peaceful coexistence
7	Cold War Role	Refused alignment with either US-led Western bloc or Soviet-led Eastern bloc
8	India's Role	Founding member; Nehru was a principal architect; India hosted summit in 1983 (New Delhi)
9	Focus Areas	Anti-colonialism, disarmament, economic development, South-South cooperation
10	Post-Cold War	Shifted focus to economic globalization, development, and multilateralism

UPSC Exam Corner

Prelims: Key Facts

First Summit: Belgrade, 1-6 September 1961
Founding members: 25 nations
Current members: 120 (second-largest grouping after UN)
India's connection: Nehru was a founding leader; Panchsheel principles (1954) influenced NAM
Bandung Conference: 1955, Indonesia -- precursor to NAM
India hosted NAM Summit: 1983, New Delhi (7th Summit)

Mains: Probable Themes

"Non-alignment was a positive and dynamic concept, not mere neutralism." -- Discuss with reference to Nehru's foreign policy
Analyse the relevance of the Non-Aligned Movement in the post-Cold War era
Examine India's role in the founding and evolution of the NAM
"NAM has lost its raison d'etre after the end of the Cold War." -- Critically evaluate

Sources: Non-Aligned Movement (Wikipedia) | NAM (Britannica) | Belgrade 1961 Conference (Global South Studies) | NAM History (nam.go.ug)