Decolonization and Underdevelopment

Decolonization means the liberation of colonies, and emergence of new nations. But the process of liberation did not prove smooth rather it proved a long and arduous process.

This process of decolonization commenced in 1776 with the proclamation of American independence and continued for more than 200 years till the last colonies Eritrea (1993) and Palau (1994).

However, the focus of this chapter is on the post-world war decolonization. One of the most important outcomes of the Second World War was the end of direct colonial rule in different parts of the world, and particularly in Asia. Due to the rising tide of anti-colonial movements, British, Dutch, French, and Portuguese colonial rule ended in many countries. During the 1940 s anti-colonial political ideology was spreading fast in colonies like India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Indochina. As a result of these movements most of the former colonies achieved independence by 1950. It is said that what impact had earlier Napoleonic war producedon Spanishcolonyof Latin America,sameimpactthe Second World Warlefton Asio-

African colonies of Britain, France Holland etc.

The process of decolonization was inspired and powered by several factors that were intellectual socio-cultural, political and economic.

The factors which encouraged decolonisation

• At the International level:
• The impact of the Atlantic charter. ▪ The second world war was fought in the name of preserving human freedom and protecting democracy from fascist power. So, it naturally encouraged the aspiration of colonial people.

▪ It inspired colonized people, and pressurized colonial powers.

Atlantic Charter (14 August 1945)

Contributions

• It promised the right to self-judgment to all the people living in different parts of the world. It proved a death knell to colonialism and imperialism, and it became a charter for decolonization.
• Historian Caroline Elkins: "The independence genie was out of her bottle, and it was the Atlantic Charter that had set her free."
• The Atlantic Charter was subsequently incorporated by reference in the Declaration of the United Nations (January 1, 1942).

Limitations

• Throughthe Atlanticcharter,the USAhadbeensearchingforitsownmarketdesperately through removing control by colonial powers from the international market.
• Very soon, the agenda of the cold war violated the Atlantic charter.
• In context of Asian colonies, Japanese occupation worked as a major factor.

▪ Duringthewar,mostofthe British,Dutch,and French coloniesin Asiawere occupied by Japan. When the Japanese realized that they were facing defeat, they started to encourage the nationalist movements in these colonies to destabilize their enemies. They encouraged the nationalists in Indonesia, Indochina, and India and even supplied weapons to the Indonesian nationalists.

• The role played by UNO. ▪ UNO also played an important role in success of process of decolonization ever since its established in 1945, UNO has supported right of self-

determination of people.

▪ A committee on decolonization was established by UNO in 1962. This committee handled the task of liberation of colonies and worked to ensure that every colony gets liberated.

• Cold War Rivalry: ▪ The pressure from USSR.

▪ An initiative from the side of the USA.

• NAM also played a role in the process of decolonization. It aways stood for the rights of self-determination of natives and condemned colonial rules.
• At the level of colonial power: Decline of Europe after WW 2
• All the three imperialist powers, British, French and Dutch declined after the Second World War. The European colonial powers faced massive destruction during WW.Itwaspracticallyimpossibleforthemtomaintaintheircolonialempire against the will of natives after WWII.
• The Second World War had put tremendous pressures on the exchequers of the former colonial powers. ▪ After the Second World War, they became badly involved in post-war economic reconstruction.
• They found the European market more lucrative than the colonial market.
• European powers while taking the German instance came to realise that colonisation adversely affected their domestic economy.
• At the level of colonies:
• Spread of awakening among the people of colonies played most important role in the commencement of decolonization.
• The colonial exploitation of natives also played role in the process of decolonization.
• The WW II also played an important role in spread of awakening among natives ▪ Natives encountered outside world directly. African soldiers fought along with whites and absorbed western ideas; these soldiers carried modern ideas with them to their countries when war got over.
• Emergenceofnationalismandcommencementofnationalmovementplayed most important role in the success of process of decolonization. Colonial resistance movement started in many colonies i.e. 'Quit India Movement' in India, 'Mau Mau Movement' in Kenya, 'Bloody conflict' in Vietnam and Algeria. These anti-colonial

movements compelled the already overstretched colonial powers to look for compromise.

The process and the nature of decolonization

• In the process of decolonisation, we notice two different models, Capitalist and Communist.
• Mostofthe Asianand Africancountriesgotfreedombasedonthecapitalistmodel.
• Insomecountrieslike Chinaand Vietnam,the Communist Partyledthemovement. ▪ Very soon the liberation movement in these countries became part of the cold war.
• The process of decolonization varied from one power to another power and region to region.
• For example, France wasa bit hardliner in approach, it did not allow its colonies to slip out of its hand so smoothly.
• On the other hand, Britain adopted a bit soft approach to nationalist resistance against its rule.
• The nature of decolonization depended even on the basis that the stake some colonial power had in the region concerned. If the stake was higher (e.g. larger settled population

or larger investment), then colonial power was not ready to vacate the region smoothly.

• Even the term 'decolonization' itself is a misnomer. It sounds as if the liberation was a smooth processand imperialistpowersliberatedcolonies willingly.However, the situation

was quite the opposite and the imperialist powers vacated the colonies only then it became almost impossible for them to hold the colonies furthermore.

Liberation of Asian Countries In post-world war era, India was the first country to attain independence.

• An Englisheducated middleclass leadership,which wastheproductof English education, emerged in India and led the premier nationalist organization, Indian National Congress.

It worked as an umbrella organization in national movement under Gandhi. It was in 1947 British negotiated transfer of power to India.

• It was in 1948 that Sri Lanka and Burma got independence. Liberation movement in Southeast Asia
• It took a specific turn due to two factors-firstly,the factorof Japanese occupation and secondly, activism of the communist party.
• Philippines
• It was a semi-American colony. It was the first region where USA could experiment with the policy of neo-

colonialism after snatching the region from Spain in 1898.

• Later Philippines was conquered by Japan during the Second World War.
• Thedemand fortheliberation for Philippines from semi-colonialstatus under USA hadstartedfrom 1930 sonwardsbutitwas after the exit of Japan that USA granted its independence in 1946.
• Just after the independence, there was a civil war (1946-57).

▪ The conservative government of Philippines had to face the severe challenge from leftist or communist group. It was a matter of concern for USA which continuously gave covert support to the rightist government.

Finally, leftist groups were defeated and suppressed in Philippines.

• Malaya Peninsula
• In Malaya there was three ethnic groups, Chinese, Malayas who were in majority and others including Indian immigrants. One distinctive aspect of the Malayan decolonization process was the emphasis on multiracialism to minimize ethnic tensions.
• The aftermath of World War II significantly influenced the decolonizationprocess. ▪ The war weakened European colonial powers and enhanced the spirit of nationalism among colonized peoples.

▪ The British, who had control over Malaya, were weakened economically and politically after the war, making it difficult to maintain their colonies.

• Economic Factor: ▪ The rubberandtinindustries in Malayawere significantcontributorsto the British economy.

▪ However, the changing global economic landscape and the declining importance of these commodities influenced the British decision to decolonize.

▪ Also, due to the nationalist pressure Britain decided to withdraw.

• Communist Insurgency and Malayan Emergency (1948-1960)

▪ The Malayan Communist Party (MCP) played a role in the independence movement, initially collaborating with the British against the Japanese during the war but later turning against colonial rule. As the Chinese communists became too much active, it created the apprehension among the British.

▪ So, emergency was declared in response to communist insurgency. It was a critical period in the decolonization process.It was primarilya guerrilla war between the British and the MCP, but it also spurred anti-colonial sentiments and demands for self-rule.

▪ Therefore,againstcommunists,the British,the Malaysandnon-communist Chinese all were united. Finally, communists were defeated.

• Federation of Malaya to Malaysia

▪ After negotiation with the Alliance Party, a dominant nationalist party, the British withdrew in 1957. The Federation of Malaya achieved independence on August 31, 1957. Tunku Abdul Rahman became the first Prime Minister.

▪ In 1963, the Federation of Malaya merged with Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo), and Sarawak to create Malayasia.

▪ However, Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965.

• In Southeast Asia liberation movement in Indonesia more or less took the same turn.
• Aftermath of WWII ▪ In course of the Second World War Indonesia also fell a prey to Japanese occupation and after exit of Japan in mid-August Indonesia was also vacated.

▪ Then once again Holland initiated to re-occupy her old colony. As she was pre-occupied with home affairs, British government of India came to take charge of Indonesia on behalf of Holland.

• But in the meantime, a nationalist party under Dr. Sukarno, which had strengthened its position under Japanese government, opposed the move tooth and nail.

▪ Itwasatthattimeevencommunistinsurgencyresurfacedbut Dr.Sukarno's party countered it. As Dr. Sukarno was having an anti-communist posture, so he earned the sympathy of western countries.

• International support for freedom ▪ Then colonial power Holland also felt the pinch of international pressure as well.

▪ Even Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, played a pivotal role in mobilising international diplomacy in favour of Indonesia. He organized a conference of Asian countries on the issue of liberation of Indonesia in 1949.

▪ Finally, due to intervention of UNO, Indonesia's independence could be ensured.

• The case of Indochina was quite different, and it turned to be a hot issue in international diplomacy.
• Indochina was a French colony, but it was conquered by Japan in course of the Second World War. After the exit of Japan in August 1945, French tried to regain its old position.
• In the meantime, a communist leader, Ho Chi Minh installed in North Vietnam a communist government in the name of Vietnamese Republic. On the other hand, the French established a puppet government under Bao Dai in South Vietnam.
• Very soon the issue became a burning issue of cold war which left southeast Asia disturbed for next 30 years.

Liberation movements in Africa The process of decolonization was long and arduous. In some countries, fortunately the process remained to be a bit smoother, but in others it turned out to be violent.

• Northwest Africa:
• Except Algeria, in other Northwest African countries, transfer of power was negotiated relatively peacefully.
• Here the model of colonial liberation was prepared by Ghana. ▪ There emerged a middle class which was the product of the colonial rule.
• They were western educated indigenous intellectuals. Some of them were the product of missionary schools.
• Some African intellectuals were associated even with lower government jobs under the British/French government.
• Some Africans even moved to western countries for higher education.
• Apart from that, some Black intellectuals of West Africa came in touch with the Black movement in U.S.A.

▪ Thepioneerofdecolonizationinwestern Africawastobe Ghana's Khwame Nkrumah.

▪ Decolonization in Ghana was thought to be reasonably peaceful. There were no White settlers whose racial privileges needed special protection.

• The process followed in other countries of West Africa such as Senegal, Zambia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leon, Mauritania etc.
• The case of Algeria seems to be exceptional where France had a greater stake in the colony. So, it took the form of a military conflict.

Decolonization of Algeria Algeria was a French colony for 132 years, from 1830 to 1962. The French conquest of Algeria was a brutal one, and it resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Algerians.

Colonial Policy

• Algeria was regarded as an integral part of France, and the French government implementedpolicies aimed at assimilating Algeriansinto Frenchculture.Thisincluded the imposition of French language, legal systems, and education.
• Large portions of Algerian land were confiscated, and European settlers, known as

“colons" were encouraged to move to Algeria.”

Post WW II Developments

• After World War II, nationalist sentiments intensified.
• The Sétif massacre (1945), where peaceful protests turned violent, marked a turning point.
• Repressive measures by Frence resulted in casualties and fueled the demand for independence.

The Algerian War of Independence (1954-62)

• It began in 1954 with attacks by the National Liberation Front (FLN) which sought to end French rule and establish an independent Algerian state.
• Itwasabloodyandprotractedconflict.Frenchengagedhugearmytocrushthedem and of the national liberation and also used brutal tactics, including torture, mass killings,

and forced displacement. The French military,aswell asparamilitarygroups, employed torture and repression.

• However,the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN)wasdeterminedtowin,andthey received support from the Soviet Union and other anti-colonial movements. It carried out guerrilla warfare and acts of terrorism.

Freedom

• As the war continued, French public opinion shifted, and there were calls for negotiations.In 1959,Charlesde Gaullereturnedtopowerandacknowledgedtheneed for a political solution.
• After seven and a half years of fighting, the French government was forced to concede defeat. Negotiations led to the signing of the Évian Accords (1962). In a plebiscite

(1962), Algerians voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence.

• East Africa:
• In Eastern Africa the process of liberation appeared to be a bit more difficult as in countries like Egypt, Sudan, and Kenya etc. It is because the British had a greater stake in these colonies.

▪ If Ghana prepared the model of liberation of colonies in West Africa, Kenya prepared its model in east Africa.

• Suez Canal crisis in 1956 put a death knell to British colonialism in Africa. Still British resisted the liberation of Kenya where Mau Mau Rebellion created a larger pressure on White settlers.
• South Africa:
• In South Africa a new type of colonization was visible.

▪ In fact, White settlers in South Africa got autonomy first from metropolitan state, then complete freedom. After that, White settlers in South Africa introduced the worst type of colonization on Black majority, Bantus. That was known as apartheid.

▪ It does not simply represent racial policy rather it represented most formidable type of racial discrimination based on complete social segregation of Black population.

• Later due to consistent movement against the system and continuous pressure from world community the system gave way to a democratic government. Indian Contribution to liberation of Africa
• Indian National Movement:Inspirationforanti-colonialismthroughexample,method and ideology:
• Tunisia, Morocco, and Gold Coast had placed the demand of liberation, but colonial power had continuously rejected their demand for freedom. However,

once India got independence in 1947, the demand for their liberation could not be avoided for a longer time and finally Tunisia and Morocco got independence in 1956 while Gold Coast emerged to be an independent nation in the name of Ghana in 1958.

• At least two African leaders Nkrumah of Ghana, Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya and Kenneth Kaundaof Zambiaclearlymentionedintheirautobiographiesthat they were largely inspired by Indian independence.
• Gandhian Satyagrah gave a new method of protest to the African National Congress in South Africa. In fact, the leader of ANC, Albert Luthuli and later Nelson Mandela fell under the spell of Gandhi.
• Indian Activism: Pan African Solidarity, Diplomatic Support and Advocacy:
• Jawaharlal Nehru, who became the first Prime Minister of independent India, was a vocal advocate for anti-colonial struggles worldwide. India actively supported the decolonization of African nations through diplomatic channels and international forums.
• Indiaplayedacrucialrolein the Asian-Africanconferences,suchasthe Bandung

Conference in 1955. These conferences provided a platform for Asian and Africannationstodiscusscommonconcernsrelatedto colonialism,imperialism, and the promotion of economic cooperation. The principles of these conferences emphasized the right to self-determination for all nations.

• India led the international boycott of South Africa in protest of its apartheid regime. This boycott included economic sanctions, sporting bans, and cultural isolation, putting significant pressure on the South African government.
• India offered financial assistance to African independence movements, providing them with the resources needed to sustain their perjuangan (struggle). This financial support was often channelled through multilateral institutions like the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
• In some instances, India provided direct military support to African liberation movements, under the aegis of UN. For example, India sent troops to support the liberation of Congo from Belgian rule in the 1961-64.

Constraints in the development of Africa

Causes

• Mismatch between geography and community
• Lack of a binding force as a nation
• Backwardness in the economy and lack of proper industrialisation due to the dearth of infrastructure.
• Lack of human resources and technology
• Division of economy in two different enclaves
• Dependence over the export of one or two items
• Fell a prey to Cold war politics.
• Even the policy of economic liberalisation proved fatal to African economies.

Impediments in the development of Latin America

• Economic exploitations carried out by colonial masters left hardly any resource with the people when these countries gained

independence, they had to commence their process of economic development from zero.

• Most of Latin American countries fell under the control of despotic rulers after their independence. These despots were no better colonial masters.
• Freedom proved meaningless to Latin American republics as they were transformed into semi-colonies of USA.
• Even after the end of colonialism the policies continued to be dictated by foreign powers.
• Due to the dominance of an alliance between landed elites and military elements, most experiments with democracy after the second world war turned out to be a failure.
• Political instability in countries also obstructed the process of economic development.
• Just like in Africa, the mismatch between the geographical and ethnic boundaries. Civil wars ensued between different states.
• Racial division
• Growing role of Church in politics
• Thelevelofeducationandawakeningwasverylowamongthepeopleasaresultof which they could not walk confidently on the path of progress.
• The socio-cultural life was dominated by traditional outlook the people remained trapped in backwardness due to superstition and other evils.
• Control of Church on education system.
• Economic dependency:
• The policy of import substitution did not produce results.
• Drug economy and drug war
• Fell prey to Cold war politics.

Did colonialism really come to an end?

Is the concept of decolonization merely a myth or a reality?

Colonialismdidnotendrather itchangeditsformandit manifesteditselfinanon-formalway.

Its manifestation can be seen as follows:

Theendofformal colonial ruledidnot eradicateof colonialideologies and institutions.Many post-colonial nations continue with colonial administration and legal system including borders.

In the economic field

• Colonization had deliberately created extractive economy to suit the metropole which continued even afterwards, perpetuating unequal power relationship. E.g. Many African

countries continue to export raw materials to the Global North, while importing finished goods, resulting in a lopsided trade relationship.

• Colonization also created structural inequality in land distribution and resource access by favouring certain castes and communities against another. The post-colonial nations

continue to struggle with political and social unrest emerging out of such disruption.

• Formation of organizations such as IMF, World Bank and GATT/WTO to maintain their economic dominance just after the decolonization.
• Colonization is persisted through neo-colonial practices like MNCs and global financial institutions, which continue to exert pressure, influence economies and thereby trample upon the sovereignty of the nations.
• Presently, to open the service sector and capital investment in third world countries in the name of economic liberalization.

In the socio-cultural field

• To characterise non-Europeans as 'Oriental' and a policy of racial discrimination against them.
• Colonization had re-shaped socio-cultural and psychologicalset-upofpeople.E.g. local languages, indigenous knowledge, cultural norms, artforms and thus identity were objectified, inferiorized and suffered the imposition of foreign culture.
• Despite some amount of cultural revival during the freedom movements, such sense of deep inferiority has not been overcome and true decolonization of mind still remains in future.
• To divide the world into the central region and the peripheral region by the western intellectuals and making attempts to prove that all the important and progressive ideas

are originated in the central region and from there they expanded into the peripheral region.

• Westernintellectualsmaintainedtheirdominanceandhegemonyoverhumanitysubjects like history, sociology, political science, anthropology, and other subjects. Their

research/analysis was inclined to prove the superiority of the West. This is probably the most dangerous form of colonialism.

• A postmodernistthinker,Michel Foucault,hasgiven the conceptof power-knowledgei.e. knowledge is superimposed by the superior authority.
• As Frantz Fanon argues in "The Wretched of the Earth", decolonization is not merely a political process but also a deeply psychological and cultural one. The struggle with the

internalized oppression and the task of rebuilding their identities continues long after the formal decolonization.

The Rise of Third World The term 'Third world' has two different connotations - political as well as economic.

Political context

• 'First World' signifies the capitalist countries of western Europe, and the 'Second World' denotes the socialist countries of eastern Europe. On the other hand, the Third world denotes the newly independent countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• They didn't belong to the same political bloc necessarily. Some nations from the Third World aligned themselves with the American bloc, while others leaned towards the Russian bloc during the Cold War era.

Economic context

• The term Third world symbolizes the countries which are suffering from the common socioeconomic malaise i.e. low investment in social sector, higher birth rate, lower per capita income, poor health and education sectors, etc.
• The countries of the third world are not a monolithic group.
• These countries were situated across Asia, Africa, and Latin America and encountered diversity of socio-economic and geopolitical circumstances.
• Also, there was a considerable disparity in their levels of development.

▪ Notably, nations such as South Korea and Taiwan exhibited economic conditions comparable to developed countries, while certain Asian and African countries faced significantly lower economic development.

What led them to form a separate entity?

• All of them had a common memory of being exploited for decades/centuries.
• Secondly, even before the independence, both Asian and African countries started to develop a sense of fraternity.

The achievements of the Third World

• Consolidation among the Third World countries made them a powerful entity. So, even the superpowers started to take them seriously.
• From the late 1940 s, they took initiative for making some associations.
• For example, in March 1947, at the initiative of Nehru, the Asian Relations Conference was organized in
• Likewise, another conference was organized in the liberation of Indonesia.
• Later in 1955, the Bandung Conference was organised. In this conference 29 Afro- Asian countries participated. It was particularly after Bandung Conference that better consolidation among third world nations was visible.
• The third world nations organized NAM at Belgrade in 1961.
• At the international forum, they could form a common opinion on important international issues like colonialism, imperialism, racialism, etc. Later, even western powers were compelled to accept their importance in these forums.

Challenges before the third world nations

• After the liberation, most of the nations accepted the capitalist model of government, so naturally their economy became subservient to the developed economy of the western world.
• Naturally,their economicdependencyoverwestern countries made theirfreedom meaningless.
• The multilateral institutions like IMF, World Bank and GATT as well as multinational companies persistently intervened in their economy.
• During the era of the Cold War:
• Peace and stability returned to the First World. Likewise, after the initial disturbance, even Second World got stabilized. But the Third World remained to be disturbed and devastated as it became the main battleground for the superpower rivalry.
• After the Cold War:
• Particularly, after the disintegration of Soviet Russia and the decline of socialist countries the Third World countries lost their staunch supporters.
• Above all, in 1990 s, on the basis of the Washington Consensus the policy of economic liberalisation was imposed over the third world nations and on the basis their market was forcefully opened.

NAM

Meaning of the Non-Align Movement

• This issue has become a matter of controversy. Sometimes it confers with the terms like neutrality, non-commitment, isolation etc.
• On the contrary, Non-alignment implies active participation in international politics. It does not mean that there should be no relations with superpower. Rather, it means to

form an independent decision on important international issues without getting influenced by any superpower.

Causes behind NAM: (objectives)

• NAM does not believe in neutrality or passivism. It believes in playing an active role in international matters. The only intention of NAMis to remain away from bloc politics and militarism and not away from international developments.
• Newlyindependentcountries cameto realizethatto joinanymilitaryblockmeans to get their foreign policy mortgaged and in that eventuality, their hard-earned freedom would be meaningless. Newly independent nations wanted to remain away from capitalist and communist military bloc.
• Before newly independent Afro-Asian nations, economic reconstruction was the first priority.So,tojoinanyblockmeanstospendthescarceresourcesonmilitaryexpenditure at the cost of a development program.
• Inaconditionofthepolicyof Non-Alignment,thethirdworldnationswouldexpect the economic support for reconstruction program from both the blocks simultaneously.
• NAM was created so that member nations could tackle their social, economic and political challenges effectively through mutual co-operation. The nature of challenges being faced by these nations were quite similar.
• NAM is the symbol of urges and aspirations of newly independent nations.
• These nations wanted to play an active role at international level by working together on a common platform.
• NAM was created so that comparatively smaller national of world could have effective say in international actives. Individually they were not strong enough to Influence the course of world politics.
• Some countries like India and Egypt tried to prove that the policy of non-alignment is inherent in their culture itself.

Process of formation of NAM

• Various Afro-Asian countries had identical experience of colonial exploitation since decades. So, they were eager to develop some sort of consolidation among themselves.
• Predecessors:
• In March 1947, under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, organization of Asiatic Relations Conference at Delhi. Likewise, between 1900 and 1927, at least fourpan Africanconferenceswereorganizedattheinitiativeof African-Americans.
• 1954 Colombo Speech
• Zhou Enlai and Nehru described the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to be used as a guide for Sino-Indian relations called Panchsheel (five restraints); these

principles would later serve as the basis of the Non-Aligned Movement. The five principles were:

▪ Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

▪ Mutual non-aggression.

▪ Mutual non-interference in domestic affairs.

▪ Equality and mutual benefit.

▪ Peaceful co-existence.

• Then once again, such a conference convened in 1945. In Bandung Conference of 1955 the basis for NAM was prepared. In this Conference, there participated 29 Asian/African countries.
• Sukarno, U Nu, Naser, Nkrumah, Tito, Nehru, Ho Chi Minh, Chau Enlai, U Thant
• But the formaldeclaration of formation of NAM in Belgrade Conference in 1961,six years after Bandung.
• Declaration: Respect for fundamental/human rights, respect

for territorial integrity and sovereignty, recognition of equality of nations, non-interference, abstention from defence pacts, not giving land for military operations of superpowers, peaceful settlements, promotion of justice and mutual interests.

The contribution of NAM

• Right from its beginning in Belgrade, the policy of non-alignment left its imprint on international politics. The NAM has always touched on the important international issues.
• For example, after its first session, it raised the issue of a nuclear test by France, apartheidin South Africaandsimultaneouslyitdemandedthemembershipof the Chinese republic in the UNO and Security Council.
• Non-alignmentworkedasa strongpressuregroup in UNOagainsttheimperialistpowers.
• NAM was on the forefront for the liberation of colonies.
• Non-alignment also carried the persistent demand for the democratization of economic relations at the international level.

Limitations

• The western powers could not take this movement much seriously. Likewise, even the apartheid regime of South Africa could not take this movement seriously.
• Some members of NAM have regularly been linked to either superpower while putting a question mark on the term 'nonalignment'.
• NAM persistently failed to stop any major international war like the Iran-Iraq war.

Is NAM relevant today?

• Through NAM was established at a time when Cold War was going on, it was not merely a reaction to the Cold War politics. It was created with many the intentions and objectives.

On closer scrutiny, we find that NAM still has a larger relevance, but only in the context of the original objectives of NAM, which was to protect the basic interest of the third world, as at that time cold war and bloc politics worked as a major threat to the interest of the third world nations.

• NAM was established so that newly independent nations could pursue independent foreign policy. Therelevance of independentforeign policy can never be lost.
• Today, after the end of the cold war, the basic interest of the nations is still threatened. Rather, the Third World has become more vulnerable to the intervention by imperialist powers. Here NAM can work as an important forum for protecting their interest.
• The newly independent nations came together on platform of NAM, so that they wouldworktogetherfortheirsocio-economicadvancement.Therelevanceof such co-operation can never become less.
• Instead of losing its relevance, NAM has become much more significant in recent times because of many trans-national challenges like climate change,

environmentaldegradation,human&drugtraffic king,Armstraffic king&terrorism etc, which cannot be tackled individually. They need a multi-lateral approach to solve them. So, it is possible only with the co-operation of a large number of nations.Weshouldkeepinourmindtha there NAMcanworkasaneffectiveforum as it is the largest in size after UNO.

• Furthermore, on such important international issues, the third world nations are generally worried about the arm-twisting by developed nations against their own interest. Even in that situation, NAM can work as a strong bullwork against such tactics.
• Today, NAM has 120 members 17 observer states are present in NAM represents more than 55% of world population. It is the second biggest political platform after UNO,

representing 50% plus of world. Such a big organization can never be irrelevant. Instead of abandoning NAM, steps should be taken to strengthen it further. To make NAM more effective, it needs to be restructured with revised objectives and programs.