India and the Non-Aligned Movement
For India, the concept of non-alignment began as a policy of non-participation in the military affairs of a bipolar world and in the context of colonialism aimed towards optimum involvement through multi-polar participation towards peace and security. It meant a country should be able to preserve a certain amount of freedom of action internationally. There was no set definition of non-alignment, which meant the term was interpreted differently by different politicians and governments, and varied in different contexts.[1] The overall aims and principles found consensus among the movement members.[2] Non-aligned countries, however, rarely attained the freedom of judgement they desired and their actual behaviour towards the movement's objectives, such as social justice and human rights, were unfulfilled in many cases. India's actions often resembled those of aligned countries.[3] The response of the non-aligned nations during India's wars in
India played an important role in the multilateral movements of colonies and newly independent countries that wanted to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement. The country's place in national diplomacy, its significant size and its economic growth turned India into one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement.[10]
Origin of non-alignment in India
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Prior to Independence and India becoming a republic, Jawaharlal Nehru contemplated the path the country would take in world affairs.[15] In 1946, Nehru, as a part of the cabinet of the Interim Government of India, said during a radio broadcast; "we propose, as far as possible, to keep away from the power politics of groups, aligned against one another, which have led in the past to world wars and which may again lead to disasters on an even vaster scale".[16] In 1948, he made a speech to the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) titled "We Lead Ourselves" in which he said the world was going through a phase in which the foreign policies of major powers had "miserably failed".[17] In the speech, he talked about what alignment entailed, saying:
What does joining a bloc mean? After all it can only mean one thing: give up your view about a particular question, adopt the other party's view on that question in order to please it […] Our instructions to our delegates have always been first to consider each question in terms of India's interest, secondly, on its merit - I mean to say if it did not affect India, naturally on its merits and not merely to do something or to give a vote just to please this power or that power ...[18]
In 1949, he told the Assembly:
We have stated repeatedly that our foreign policy is one of keeping aloof from the big blocs [….] being friendly to all countries... not becoming entangled in any alliances… that may drag us into any possible conflict. That does not, on the other hand, involve any lack of close relationships with other countries.[19]
Some saw confusion in these speeches and the West questioned Nehru's "neutrality";[20] in the United States in 1949, Nehru said; "we are not blind to reality nor do we acquiesce in any challenge to man's freedom from whatever quarters it may come. Where freedom is menaced or justice threatened or where aggression take place, we cannot and shall not be neutral".[20] The term 'Non-Alignment' was used for the first time in 1950 at the United Nations when both India and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia rejected alignment with any side in the Korean War.[21] Over the years, Nehru made a number of comments on non-alignment; in 1957 he said, "Non-alignment seems to me as the natural consequence of an independent nation functioning according to its own rights. After all alignment means being regimented to do something you do not like and thereby giving up certain measures of independent judgement and thinking."[22]
Indian non-alignment was a product of the
The term "non-alignment" was coined by
According to Jairam Ramesh, neither Menon or Nehru "particularly cared for or were fond of the term 'non alignment' much less of the idea of 'non-aligned movement' or a 'non aligned grouping'".[25]
Early developments
The Non-Aligned Movement had its origins in the 1947
Non-aligned response to Sino-Indian conflict
The Sino-India war of 1962 was one of the first situations in which the non-aligned countries faced a situation that was not directly related to the two blocs or issues such as colonialism.[26] The Belgrade Summit had been held in 1961 with representation from 24 countries, the reaction of which ranged from ignoring the situation, making low-profile appeals and statements to making attempts to mediate.[27]
According to
Non-alignment and Indo-Pakistan conflicts
The response of non-aligned nations to the Indo-Pakistan conflicts revealed insights into their views towards self determination, issues of secession, the use of force in boundary disputes, armed intervention, external support in liberation struggles, human rights and genocide.
The
Look at the non-aligned countries, we have prided ourselves of our nonalignment. What have the non-aligned countries done? Nothing. ... many countries have skeletons in their cupboard. They have minorities whom they have not treated well and they feel that if they support Bangladesh, these minorities will also rise in revolt, in rebellion, against the oppressive policies being pursued by the administration.[36][37]
The signing of the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1971 and India's involvement in the internal affairs of its smaller neighbours in the 1970s and 1980s tarnished its image as a non-aligned nation and led some observers to question India's non-alignment.[7] Rather than an issue of non-aligned solidarity, India's declining influence in non-aligned areas compared to the rise of China also affected the international withdrawal of support to India.[9] There was no commitment for the non-aligned nations to help each other.[38] Non-alignment also affected India's bilateral relations with many countries.[38]
21st century
In 2019, India was represented at the 18th NAM summit by its vice president and external affairs minister.
See also
- Foreign relations of India
- Cold War in Asia#India
- 7th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
- Non-Aligned Movement
- Group of 15
- Yugoslavia and the Non-Aligned Movement
- Egypt and the Non-Aligned Movement
Notes
- ^ In 1979 the Havana Declaration was adopted to clarify the purpose of NAM: "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics."[12]
References
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 9, Chapter 1.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 5, Chapter 1.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 315–320, Chapter 6.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 301–302, Chapter 6.
- ^ a b Upadhyaya 1987, p. 233, Chapter 4.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 295, Chapter 5.
- ^ a b Upadhyaya 1987, p. 298, Chapter 5.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 302–303, Chapter 6.
- ^ a b Upadhyaya 1987, p. 301–304, Chapter 6.
- ISBN 978-0-19-991624-5.
- ^ a b c Upadhyaya 1987, p. 2.
- ISBN 978-1-134-45117-3.
- ^ a b "Naidu, Jaishankar meet Afghan President on Non alignment movement (NAM) Summit sidelines". ANI News. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ a b Nagda, Ashutosh (11 May 2020). "India's Renewed Embrace of the Non-Aligned Movement". The Diplomat. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Grover 1992, p. 142, 151.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 2, Chapter 1.
- ^ Grover 1992, p. 142, 147, Chapter 1.
- ^ Grover 1992, p. 147, 150, Chapter 1.
- ^ Grover 1992, p. 151, Chapter 1.
- ^ a b Chary 1995, p. 59–60.
- ISBN 978-953-313-750-6.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 13.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 11, Chapter 1.
- ^ Laskar, Rejaul Karim. "Respite from Disgraceful NDA Foreign Policy". Congress Sandesh. 6 (10): 8.
- ^ ISBN 978-93-5305-740-4.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 47-48, Chapter 2.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 66-76, Chapter 2.
- ^ a b Upadhyaya 1987, p. 47, Chapter 2.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 168, Chapter 4.
- ^ a b Upadhyaya 1987, p. 235, Chapter 5.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 251, Chapter 5.
- ^ a b c Upadhyaya 1987, p. 255, Chapter 5.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 264-270, Chapter 5.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 272, Chapter 5.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 272–275, Chapter 5.
- ^ Upadhyaya 1987, p. 290, Chapter 5.
- ^ Ghaṭāṭe, Narayana Madhava, ed. (1971). Bangla Desh: Crisis & Consequences: Proceedings of the Seminar, 7th and 8th August 1971. Deendayal Research Institute; [distributors: Indian Publishing House, Delhi]. pp. 83, 84.
- ^ a b Upadhyaya 1987, p. 302–304, Chapter 6.
- ^ Bhaumik, Anirban (20 July 2020). "S Jaishankar says era of non-alignment gone, as US, Indian warships conduct joint drills". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ "EAM's interaction on Mindmine Mondays, CNBC (July 21, 2020)". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Pant, Harsh V. "Gradually burying non-alignment". ORF. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
Sources
- Upadhyaya, Priyankar (1987). Non-aligned States And India's International Conflicts (Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Jawaharlal Nehru University thesis). Centre For International Politics Organization And Disarmament School Of International Studies New Delhi. hdl:10603/16265.
- Grover, Verinder, ed. (1992). Uno, Nam, Nieo, Saarc and India's Foreign Policy. Vol. 10 of International relations and foreign policy of India. New Delhi: Deep and Deep Publications. ISBN 9788171003495.
- Chary, M. Srinivas (1995). The Eagle and the Peacock: U.S. Foreign Policy Toward India Since Independence. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313276026.
Further reading
- Gupta, Devender Kumar (1987). Role of India in Non-Aligned Movement: A Select Annotated Bibliography (submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of the degree of Master of Library Science) (PDF). Aligarh: Department Of Library Science, Aligarh Muslim University.
- Chaudhuri, Rudra. Forged in Crisis: India and the United States since 1947. Oxford University Press, 2014.
- "Library of Congress: Federal Research Division Country Profile: India, September 1995". Library of Congress Country Studies (All works are released in Public domain). Retrieved 6 November 2007.