Non-Alignment and its relevance today

Condi Rice's recent remarks on the relevance of non-alignment have invited a lot of criticism here, especially from our 'comrades'. It seems these people have taken it upon themselves to oppose any new ideas that challenge existing establishments. If that idea is from the west, the opposition is all the more vociferous. But Rice's remarks reflect the opinion of many people around the world and some of the non-aligned nations themselves. When the cold war has ended, where is the need for a policy of non-alignment?

Its quite obvious that non-alignment is an outdated concept and irrelevant to the modern world. It was the brainchild of Nehru and his fellow idealists who saw non-alignment as a means to propagate ahimsa and other Gandhian philosophies that seemed exotic in the eyes of the world for a brief period of time. The successors of those people continued to adopt this stance. One can't deny the fact that non-alignment was definitely useful to this world. It prevented the third world from falling into the traps set by the western powers in the name of treaties and alliances. This has definitely given these countries some self-respect and independent thought. Continuing the same decades old policies in these rapidly changing times isn't prudent.

Nevertheless it isn't wise to disband the organization altogether. The majority of the non-aligned are poor and weak economically. This in turn gives them very little say in world affairs. With a weak economy,military and very little influence in world affairs, these are not the happiest of nations. Recent events like the invasion of Iraq, the capitulation of Libya & North Korea under world (read: American) pressure and the heat on Iran have all created a sense of insecurity among many nations of the third world. These nations are not (and quite sadly they never will be) strong enough to protect their rights and assert themselves. In this scenario they will look upon another nation or group of nations to support them in times of need. A large group of less developed nations facing similar problems that are united in their goals and aspirations can successfully make themselves be heard and respected in this world. If such a group has a few members that are rising economic powers that command respect and admiration in this world the group can be a very successful one.

Enter India and non-alignment. We have in our hands a golden opportunity that has presented itself before us at the right moment. India was one of the founding members of the non-aligned movement, greatly respected and admired by the members of the movement. Moreover we are a rising economic and military power with a certain degree of influence in world affairs. We have inherited a leadership role in a group of nations as described above. Acting wisely, we can use this opportunity to extend our influence over large parts of the world that will benefit us enormously in the future.

First, the non-aligned group must be converted into an organization representing developing nations comparable to the G-8 or the G-20. Such a group will include a majority of the nations and almost 80% of the global population. It will be a powerful group whose voice will not go unheard. With big guns like India, such a group will gain enormous clout and in turn will make all the weak nations rally around us and look up to us to represent their cause in the global arena thus effectively thrusting us into a leadership role. If we work towards safeguarding the interests of the nations in such a group and playing the role of their protector and representative to the developed world, we will gain the respect and loyalty of these nations. In the future, when we grow into a very strong nation superior to many developed nations both economically and militarily, we will start making more foes than friends. In such a scenario, we will require the support and undivided loyalty of many nations big and small. Thus the strategic importance of our role in the non-aligned movement should not be overlooked.

As a beginning, we must shed our old principles and ideals and adopt a pragmatic approach towards foreign policy. We must work towards setting up an organization of third world nations as described above. Our thinking ought to be advanced and futuristic aimed at projecting our power and influence throughout the world in preparation for the more pro-active role we are bound to play in world affairs in the future.