US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has questioned the relevance of the NAM at a time when the Cold War has long been over.
A lot of Indians believe that the movement must be strengthened
NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has questioned the relevance of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) at a time when the Cold War has long been over. India is a founder member of NAM and has for long proudly proclaimed that it was not either in the US or the former Soviet Union camp.
Rice’s statement is certainly to create a political furore in the country, with many Indians, including most political parties are enthusiastic about NAM, and believe the movement needs to be strengthened. In fact, the Left have often criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for abandoning India’s traditional non-aligned foreign policy and veering towards the US camp.
“I know there are some who still talk about non-alignment in foreign policy. But, may be, that made sense during the Cold War when the world really was divided into rival camps,” Rice said at the USIBC function and added “… the question that I would ask is, as fellow democracies with so many interests and principles in common at a time when people of every culture, every race and every religion are embracing political and economic liberty, what is the meaning of non-alignment?”
She went on to add, “…it has lost its meaning” and explained, “One is aligned not with the interests and power of one bloc or another but with the values of a common humanity.”
Foreign office spokesperson Navtej Sarna refused to react to Rice’s comments , but said India’s views on NAM were well known. Soon after the Cold War ended and former PM Narasimha Rao began his economic reforms, India gradually began to distance itself from the the NAM. However, Rao did not dare to completely cut off links with the movement.
Today, however, things have come full circle and many in India realise the value of NAM at a time when the world is dominated by a single super power. Rice’s comments will make the PM’s task of cooperating with the US just a little bit tougher.
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