The Non-Aligned Movement — Important Questions

Indonesia

The Bandung Conference of 1955 was convened by President Sukarno of Indonesia and held in the city of Bandung, Indonesia, bringing together 23 Asian and 6 African countries. It was not held in India, Egypt, or Yugoslavia, which hosted other related events.

Formation of military alliances

The five Panchsheel principles are mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. Forming military alliances contradicts the spirit of Panchsheel, which promoted peaceful coexistence rather than bloc politics, so it is not one of the five principles.

Two

After World War II, the wartime cooperation between the USSR and the Western allies broke down, leading to the formation of two rival blocs: the American Bloc (NATO) and the Soviet Bloc (Warsaw Pact). This division into two hostile blocs was a key reason newly independent countries sought non-alignment.

Belgrade Meeting, 1956

The informal 1956 Belgrade meeting between Nehru, Nasser and Tito translated the ideas discussed at Bandung into a concrete plan, leading directly to the first NAM summit in 1961. The Asian Relations Conference (1947) and Bandung Conference (1955) were earlier steps, while Cairo (1964) came after NAM was already established.