Non-Alignment in an Age of Alignments

NON-ALIGNMENT IN AN AGE OF ALIGNMENTS A.W. SINGHAM & SHIRLEY HONE Non-alignment in an Age of Alignments A. W. Singham and Shirley Hune by: Non-alignment in an age of alignments was first published in 1986 In the UK 9BU Zed Books Ltd. 57 Caledonian Road, London Nl In the USA Lawrence Hill & Co. 520 Riverside Avenue, Westport, Connecticut 06880 In Zimbabwe The College Press (Pvt) Ltd . P.O. Box 3041, Harare GA.W. Singhant and Shirley Hune 1986. Cover designed by Jacque Solomons. A!1 rights reserved. Printed in Zimbabwe by LITHO SERVICES (PVT) LTD . P.O. Box 3625 Harare ISBN 0 86925 700 5 Foreword This is a valuable book on an important and topical subject. Archibald W Singham and Shirley Hune have a profound understanding of the subject having attended all the major meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) since 1975 . They are activists in the Pan-African, Pan-Asian and Pan- American social movements which inspired the foundation of NAM in 1961 and its steady growth and expansion since . The research work for the book is detailed, the analysis meticulous, showing a firm grasp of the central issues and objectives of NAM. Besides their grasp of the central issues of non-alignment, the authors are, most importantly, persons committed to the liberation of Third World peoples, and the social transformation ofthe existing order in the international political and economic systems. Their voices are at once authoritative and authentic; the concerns of NAM are also their personally felt concerns. The Third World needs committed scholars ofthis kind who write out oftrue con- viction and not those who act as the mouthpiece and transmission belt of the views and values of Western Europe and North America. The book has been published at the right time as NAM is holding its eighth summit in Harare as well as celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding; the birth of NAM in Belgrade in 1961 took place at the height of the struggle against colonialism with new independent states appearing on the world scene every year. The yoke of colonialism was broken in Africa and Asia and at the same time super-power rivalry and imperialism were making themselves felt in all the corners of the world. These elements together with the threat-of nuclear war posed problems for the movement. NAM has gone through many crises and faced many difficulties . As member states have tried to protect their sovereignty and independence, they have faced military threats of invasion from hostile reactionary and imperialist countries. Equally, inter-territorial disputes and wars between member states have threatened to destroy the movement . Efforts aimed at collective self-reli- ance in development among Third World countries have been thwarted by the machinations of imperialist powers. The movement's call for new world orders in the areas of economy, trade and information has fallen on deafears from and even invited punitive measures. But NAM has survived and grown strength to strength. situation . However, the movement now faces a very dangerous international power in the Right-wing reactionary social forces have captured positions of to assault USA, the UK and West Germany, and they are using that power of the the progressive movement everywhere. This assault is a manifestation imperialism in contradictions and conflict between non-alignment itself and led by which the former has scored some successes. The imperialist countries, under President Ronald Reagan, are on the offensive in a sustained the USA the to halt and even reverse the gains made by Third World peoples in effort so 25 years in the social, cultural, political and economic fields. In fact, last callous- thoroughly has the movement exposed the fallacies, irrationality and that ness of the current international order, the cornerstone of imperialism, force to these imperialist countries are panicking ; they are now resorting to silence the voice of reason represented by NAM. American Aggression and Offensives changes in in- Since 1961, NAM has been a major catalyst in bringing about has been suc- ternational relationships. The multilateral diplomacy ofNAM and codified the cessful, especially at the UN, where it has co-ordinated ofthe countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Carribean region, approach its Latin America on burning questions of mutual interest. Because of and and principled stand on such questions, the movement is becoming more effective and respected internationally. Due to this success, the imperial- more with ist countries have now mounted an assault on the UN system, starting information UNESCO mainly because of its stand on the new international from and communication order, and the ILO. The USA and UK withdrawal alleged UNESCO is part ofa general attack on the UN system because ofthe terms, that growing influence of NAM countries in the UN itself. In real and their withdrawal is part of a general policy adopted by the twd countries policies allies intended to coerce Third World countries into supporting their at all international fora. The open American aggression on the small island of Grenada in 1982 sig- nalled the end of the era of quiet diplomacy and showed the extent to which to the big powers were prepared to go to force the weak and the small nations of toe their particular line. The American government has pursued this line equip- action to great lengths by setting aside millions ofdollars and military against ment to support bandit and dissident organisations that are fighting sup- the legally constituted governments ofAngola and Nicaragua. That open organ- port as well as aggression is a serious threat to all the governments and security. isations within NAM; it also constitutes a danger to world peace and The authors demonstrate that internal and regional conflicts can quickly become global issues, involving super-powers. They show in their analysis of the conflicts between the Tamils and the government of Sri Lanka, how that conflict is drawing in, and on opposite sides, the big countries ofAsia and the super-powers. Even at the economic level, the position of NAM is under severe attack and strain from the Reaganites and Thatcherites . The Third World countries are facing economic problems of falling growth, high inflation, budget deficits, foreign exchange shortages and heavy foreign debts all of which have been brought about largely by external factors beyond their control. The current world economic order reinforced by the conservative fiscal policies of President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher is the root cause of many of these problems; it gives developing countries no chance to move out of the vicious circle of under-development. There is thus a need to adopt a new approach to the management ofthe world economy for the benefit of all countries. Third World leaders have made numerous calls to this effect but they have been unheeded. Economic Crises and Stagnation The North-South dialogue intended to narrow the gap between the rich and poor countries and share the world's resources more equitably has virtually come to a halt . Western countries have refused to abandon their "orthodox" or conservative economic policies which protect their interests at the expense of the developing countries. They still pursue restrictive trade policies and impose high interest rates which are detrimental to Third World countries. Because ofthe West's intransigence, the establishment ofthe new international economic order which had such a promising start at the Algiers Summit, Algeria, in 1973 is now further and further away. Instead the old order of dependency is being reinforced by the crippling debts ofThird World countries; Reaganites and Thatcherites would like to sustain this dependency in order to weaken if not destroy the political independence of the Third World countries and force them to toe their line. Even the Heavens are making the poorest of the poor poorer, with the severe drought in most of Africa. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund make an already bad situation worse by imposing conditions of borrowing that are so harsh that the debts of the poor countries just get bigger and bigger. The standard solutions ofdevaluation, dismissing excess staff, removing subsidies, and re- ducing government spending, are simply a debt trap; they fuel political and social unrest in the Third World countries. Programmes of economic recov- ery formulated by the West fail to redress the economic situation of Third World countries. The only economic or financial initiatives of NAM that have made an impact on the international situation, are those in which they their own action and resources. Following the solidarity demonstra- relied on efforts of the Group of 77 nations, the authors describe the successful ted by as the OPEC to control and raise the prices of oil products in 1973, as well be dupli- to promote South-South co-operation. The two initiatives can efforts . The several times over and expanded to include other commodities cated May 1986, to special session of the General Assembly ofthe UN which met in the need for the African economic crisis, served only to re-inforce discuss pricing . greater South-South co-operation and common action on commodity Southern Africa and World War Southern eighth summit in Harare has brought the focus of NAM to The and inter- Africa and the major strategic, military, economic and social issues the growing in the region. The Lusaka summit in 1970 alerted NAM to ests ofapartheid. tensions in Southern Africa and especially the evils ofthe system against imperial- The authors show clearly the early commitment of NAM of membership of ism, colonialism, and racism. Indeed one of the conditions movements for national NAM was and still is "consistently supporting the doctrine.

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