Non-Aligned Movement

> "It is humiliating to remain with our hands folded while others write history. It matters little who wins. To make a people great it is necessary to send them to battle even if you have to kick them in the pants. That is what I shall do."
>
> Prime Minister of Italy, **Benito Mussolini**

## Non-Aligned Movement

The Flag and Symbol of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Stability and prosperity for the Third World.

### Motto

"Upholding Tokyo principles to ensure the victory of peace and stability for the contemporary world."

## Agency Overview

### Preceding Agencies

* 1st Greater East Asia Conference (1943)
* 2nd Greater East Asia Conference (1949)
* Bandung Conference (1955)
* Cairo Declaration (1958)

## Jurisdictional Structure

### Governing Body

Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries

## Operational Structure

### Headquarters

* Tokyo, Japan (1961)
* Delhi, India (1967)
* Rome, Italy (1970)

### Agency Type

International Agency

The **Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)** is an international forum of 50 countries which are not formally aligned with or formally against any major power bloc. It is currently the largest grouping of nation-states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath of the First Channel Crisis of 1955, when the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America signed a formal military pact, firstly known as the Anglo-American Alliance (AAA). Following this event, Germany made significant strides towards the establishment of its own military alliance which would later be known as the Eurasian Collective Security Alliance (ECSA).

The emergence of the power blocs of Germany and the United States led to the rapid bipolarization of the world. One of these was the pro-German, usually authoritarian or nationalist bloc whose most powerful alliances were the Berlin Pact (BP) and the European Confederation (EC). The other was the pro-American, usually liberal democratic bloc whose most powerful alliances were the Atlantic Charter Treaty Organization (ACTO) and the United Nations (UN).

Drawing on the principles of the Bandung Conference of 1955, the Non-Aligned Movement was formally established in Tokyo, Japan, through the initiative of Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, Indian Prime Minister Subhas Chandra Bose, Italian Prime Minister Italo Balbo, Indonesian President Sukarno, and Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah. The Tokyo Conference of 1961 summarized the purpose of the organization to ensure the national sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and stability of non-aligned countries in the struggle against the bloc politics of global superpowers. Some passing mentions were made in combating imperialism and colonialism, in spite of the fact that the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Italy themselves had their own imperial spheres of influence.

### Origins and the Cold War

During the 1st Greater East Asia Conference in Tokyo, following the Treaty of San Francisco which ended the First Pacific War between the United States and Japan, the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere declared its opposition to the perceived "Western World Order", and called for the independence of non-Western nations in opposition to them. Following the victory of the Indian Revolution led by Subhas Chandra Bose and the independence of the Republic of India from the British Empire in 1949, India hosted the 2nd Greater East Asia Conference with an emphasis on combating "Western Imperialism" throughout Asia. Although the Greater East Asia Conferences were later formally consolidated into the Association of Trans-Pacific Nations, the framework laid by these conferences led to the rise of diplomatic and political rhetoric which would later form the foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement.

During the short-lived Second Pacific War, the United States Navy clashed with the Imperial Japanese Navy with the goal of lifting the Japanese embargo of American trade with Asian countries, which was a clear violation of the Treaty of San Francisco. The United States eventually won the war through military means, and through a diplomatic mission to Baron Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara, the Japanese lifted their embargo on American trade in the Asia-Pacific region. The Japanese were able to salvage its humiliating defeat in the seas by pointing to the war as a blatant act of Western Imperialism. The Japanese rhetoric proved pivotal in influencing global politics against "Anglo-American imperialism".

In the aftermath of the First Channel Crisis of 1955, the German Reich and the United States sought to create massive power blocs and consolidate their spheres of influence in order to combat the other power. To the rest of the world, it became increasingly clear that Germany and America were the two leading global superpowers following the conclusion of the Second World War. Although Italy and Japan were allies with Germany during the war, their relations became increasingly cold past the 1950s. As such, Italy and Japan often clashed with Germany in foreign policy, especially with regards to spheres of influence and ideology. However, Italy and Japan were also considered enemies by the United States and the United Kingdom, and as a consequence, both nations had little choice but to foster relationships with one another.

### Role of Italy

*See also: Italo-German Split*

In 1953, Germany remained neutral during the Syrian Revolution, hoping to establish relations with the Syrian Government, which at the time was fending off against an Italo-Turkish invasion. This act of silence infuriated Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, who began contemplating Italy's relationship with Germany. In 1954, Italy, opposing the continued German occupation of Crete, provided military and economic aid to anti-German Greek military units. The Italian support for the Greeks angered President Hermann Göring, who later threatened the removal of Italy from the European Confederation.

Following the death of Benito Mussolini in 1955, Italo Balbo became the new Prime Minister of Italy, and the 2nd Duce of Italy. Since the 1930s, Balbo held anti-German views in terms of foreign policy which had continued until his death. Prime Minister Balbo, knowing that Italy had already cut any hopes of establishing diplomatic alliance with the Western Powers, turned eastwards to Japan and its sphere for allies. As the Italians and Germans fought for influence during the Great Game in the Middle East, Italo-German relations became increasingly hostile. In 1958, the Italian Foreign Ministry invited diplomats from the Japanese Foreign Ministry to the Kingdom of Egypt to sign the Cairo Declaration. The Cairo Declaration was a formal economic and military pact between the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan.

Following the death of Italo Balbo, Prime Minister Galeazzo Ciano ascended to the country's top leadership, and announced a series of military advisory, economic and social reform programs which were to be conducted with the members of the Non-Aligned Movement. The Delhi Conference of 1967 applauded the peaceful "decolonization" efforts of the Italian Empire in the Middle East and Africa. The Conference also hailed Italian internationalism in its "fight against both Anglo-American colonialism and German imperialism". In the upcoming Rome Conference of 1970, the Italians seek to establish themselves as the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, alongside Japan and India, all of whom are currently known as the "Big Three".