By Lokendra Sharma
Introduction
When the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, refrained from attending the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit held in 2016 at Venezuela (becoming the first Prime Minister of India to do so since 1979), Harsh V. Pant, Indian foreign policy expert and professor at King’s College London, suggested that the NAM “is dying and nobody is sending flowers” [1]. And as Modi was absent from the 18th NAM summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan, the second consecutive summit he has avoided attending, commentators were quick to write opinion pieces indicating that the NAM had become obsolete for India, despite a statement by the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar which reaffirmed India’s commitment to the “principles and objectives” of the NAM [2]. However, on May 4, 2020, amidst the pandemic, Modi participated in a virtual summit of the NAM Contact Group on the theme of “United against COVID-19”. This development reignited debates about the NAM’s relevance to India. In this regard, several questions come to the fore which require answers. Has the Cold War era NAM become obsolete for India and the developing world? And, given the transformative impact of the pandemic on the global order, what would be the NAM’s role in the post-COVID world?
The Non-Aligned Movement: A Brief Background
Tracing its roots to the Bandung conference in 1955, the Non-Aligned Movement took an institutional form in 1961 at the Belgrade Summit in Yugoslavia. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, the NAM was a great developing world experiment to safeguard new-found political autonomy, presenting a normative challenge to the world order that bred political and economic inequality. Most importantly, when institutions for world governance muffled weak voices, the NAM provided a platform to such developing countries to punch above their weight by using their collective power. For India, one of the NAM’s founding members, the principle of non-alignment was not just an idealistic but also a pragmatic policy, as India wished to focus on her developmental needs rather becoming a pawn in superpower rivalry.
After the Cold War: Losing Relevance?
The Cold war has long ended, and the world has transitioned from the unipolarism of the 1990s to an increasingly multi-polar world. The world has adapted to new realities which include re-alignments and shifts in various states’ foreign policy, including that of India. Since the 1990s, India has attempted to build and repair its ties with the United States. The signing of a nuclear deal (the 123 Agreement of 2005) and three foundational agreements (GSOMIA in 2002, LEMOA in 2016 and COMCASA in 2018), initiation of the ‘2+2’ dialogue, expanding bilateral economic relationship, formation of the Quad in the Indo-Pacific purportedly to contain China have all contributed to solidifying this strategic partnership. However, the U.S. has infringed upon India’s claim of ‘strategic autonomy’ in pressuring India to dilute its commitment to the principle of non-alignment. This was evident when India zeroed down its oil imports from Iran under pressure from the US despite negative consequences on India’s energy security. Acknowledging this shift in India’s position, then foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale, in his speech at the Raisina Dialogue in January 2019, stated that India had “moved on from its non-aligned past” and that India became “an aligned state - but based on issues” [3].
As far as the developing world is concerned, even as Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, asserts that the NAM is not a “Dead Horse”, it has become largely obsolete for its disparate member states since the end of the Cold War [4]. However, as the Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, C Raja Mohan points out, this “triennial political ritual” continues due to this platform’s diplomatic utility for highlighting “particular national issues” [5]. In fact, in the recent virtual NAM summit, Modi did just that by highlighting the role played by “some” countries for spreading the “other deadly viruses” of “terrorism” and “fake news”, which are statements that Modi evidently aimed at Pakistan [6].
The NAM’s Relevance in the Post-COVID World
The NAM became obsolete because of the elimination of its raison d'être after the end of the Cold War. The NAM failed to clearly articulate its role in a changing world. However, the ongoing pandemic has the potential to, and is clearly showing signs of, fundamentally altering the world order. The rivalry between China and the U.S. will intensify. Although we might not see a Cold War type military confrontation, economic and geopolitical tensions will likely continue. In a globalized world with increasing economic interdependence, this economic rivalry would severely impact global supply chains and would present a formidable challenge to developing countries which have already been devastated by the pandemic. It is within this context that the NAM, comprised of mostly developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, could regain momentum. It provides an opportunity for India to lead the movement and help the NAM articulate a clear role in shaping the post-COVID world. In the shadow of US-China rivalry, the NAM could chart out an alternative vision for creating an equitable world order that meets the development needs of its 120 member states. India would do good to act upon and bring to fruition what Modi said in the virtual summit: “COVID-19 has shown us the limitations of the existing international system. In the post-COVID world, we need a new template of globalization, based on fairness, equality, and humanity” [7].
Lokendra Sharma is a master’s student in International Relations at the MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi.
*Image Source: Heads of the state and government from 120 countries attended the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku, October 25, 2019 (found in article: https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/non-aligned-movement-nations-support-azerbaijan-in-nagorno-karabakh-conflict-2019-10-29-44/)
Works Cited:
[1] Harsh V. Pant, “Non-Aligned Movement is dying: India knows it all too well”, DailyO, Oct 6, 2016, available at: https://www.dailyo.in/politics/non-aligned-movement-summit-narendra-modi-usa-lemoa-brics-china/story/1/13267.html
[2] “Statement by External Affairs Minister at the Ministerial Meeting preceding the XVIIIth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement”, MEA Media Center, Oct 23, 2019, available at: https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/31970/Statement+by+External+Affairs+Minister+at+the+Ministerial+Meeting+preceding+the+XVIIIth+Summit+of+the+NonAligned+Movement+October+23+2019
[3] “Raisina Dialogue: India an aligned state based on issues, says Vijay Gokhale”, Business Standard, Jan 10, 2019, available at: https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/raisana-dialogue-india-an-aligned-state-based-on-issues-says-vijay-gokhale-119011001464_1.html
[4] “Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is not dead horse, says Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina”, UNI News, Oct 29, 2019, available at: http://www.uniindia.com/non-aligned-movement-nam-is-not-dead-horse-says-bangladesh-pm-sheikh-hasina/world/news/1773772.html
[5] C Raja Mohan, “Raja Mandala: A movement in coma”, Indian Express, Sep 20, 2016, Available at: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/nam-summit-non-aligned-movement-narendra-modi-absent-terrorism-india-pak-3039561/
[6] Nayanima Basu, “Modi slams Pakistan at NAM meet, says some countries busy spreading ‘other deadly viruses’”, The Print, May 4, 2020, available at: https://theprint.in/diplomacy/modi-slams-pakistan-at-nam-meet-says-some-countries-busy-spreading-other-deadly-viruses/414377/
[7] “Intervention by the PM at Video Conference of NAM Contact Group in response to COVID-19”, PMIndia News Update, May 4, 2020, available at: https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/intervention-by-the-pm-at-video-conference-of-nam-contact-group-in-response-to-covid-19/?comment=disable
