The Non-Aligned Movement must rejuvenate its commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty and resist the subtle encroachments of neo-colonialism

British Prime Minister Winston Churchil was quoted as saying : “Those who forget history and do not learn from it are condemned to repeat it”. Churchill’s remark coming as it did from excerpts of his 1948 speech delivered in House of Commons was purportedly made against his predecessor whose failure to re-equip the country with requisite arms and ammunition made second world war ineluctable.

On one hand, he cast aspersions on the dark side of colonialism. Paradoxically on the other, he, the great liberator of Europe, opined that colonialism should have continued in Asia and Africa in the wake of winning second world war..

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which India manned as a founding member in 1955, was established in the aftermath of the Second World War, ostensibly with a view to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, integrity from the evil designs of colonialists. As is well known, during ‘50s and later a sizeable number of countries were unshackled from the chain of colonialism. They joined NAM en bloc ; and soon the organisation became a force to be reckoned with and played a pivotal role as a mouthpiece for freedom of its members in the world besieged by the Cold War. With diplomatic sleight of hand, its most vocal member-countries introduced in its organisational charter the “neutralist policy” to be followed by other member-countries. Under the diplomatic scheme of things, member-countries would resist temptations and allurements offered either by capitalist West or the communist East to make them their allies. Instead in the quagmire unleashed by two superpowers, the organisation opted the middle path and stood tall as “third formidable forum”.

As a matter of fact, nothing illustrates the fact of NAM being a power broker more explicitly than the “swing votes” at the UN courted and shared by the east and west bloc. It provided succour to erstwhile have-not countries. Proof of pudding is in eating. The fact that most of the countries in the world refused to kowtow to either bloc spoke volumes about its sustenance as an independent entity. All this notwithstanding, Churchill was seemingly opinionated in his views about countries including India that they might have failed to learn from history. Without a powerful deterrent force against colonialism, possibilities for it to resurface again could not be ruled out. It might metamorphose into different forms in sync with different age.

Undeniably, after the collapse of Cold War, NAM’s relevance was on decline. Many factors which constituted early and undisputed principles of the Movement were blown to smithereens. A case in point: Economic Self-reliance. In the charter of Movement, Self-reliance acquired an ideological role as bulwark against economic aggression perpetrated by multinationals and monopolistic commercial, financial and industrial companies. Conflicting nature of Statements emanating from member-countries and incidents of trading charges amongst them on diplomatically impertinent issues led to strengthen the belief that the organisation had digressed from its chosen path and its future seemed bleak. .

Today it goes without saying that the war of attrition against colonialism was far from over during the post-war period. What could not be pre-empted by NAM to happen was the rising graph of neo-colonialism presence in the countries ; and its presence manifested itself by controlling countries through money, debt and media. Colonialism was replaced by neo colonialism - the control of countries though independent in name through many means, but namely through the media, money and debt. Herein, NAM’s purpose remained unfulfilled.

In the context of Britain, King Charles III, while on a visit to Kenya, rendered his profound apologies for unleashing reigns of dictatorial oppression by his many predecessors within the colonised countries is a significant historical Statement. Now the United Kingdom’s diplomatic intentions are clear. It seeks to enter into partnerships with countries based on motto of mutual respect. A free trade deal between the United Kingdom and India likely to be implemented in New Year may be cited as a case in point. That is slated to pave the way for bringing together the two countries as equals.

But France, once regarded as Britain’s close competitor with respect to setting up colonial hegemony in countries has not expressed such feelings of remorse over its past deeds. On the contrary, they have the audacity to run their fiefdom of neo-colonialism with alacrity.

As a matter of fact, France is running its writ in so-called independent countries of West and central Africa by controlling two currencies, the west and central African francs. Notably the two currencies are used by 14 African countries. France’s diktat is : these countries must deposit 50 percent of their foreign assets in the French Treasury. Obviously France’s intention to maintain economic hegemony over them is loud and clear. These countries have been bearing the brunt of France’s disdainful economic activities for decades after colonialism was considered to have ended. France behaved obsequiously with these countries for its own advantages.

Desperation of these nations—who are only independent in name and not in realty—could be gauged by the fact that in the past twelve months almost all countries in French-speaking Africa have asked French military, diplomats and businessmen to leave their lands for good.

More or less France is engaged in the same agonising activities against the countries in other parts of the world where France has daringly disallowed any further independence.

For instance, in 2021 the French territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific faced the diabolical designs of France as the last of three independence referenda was deliberately thwarted by security pressure. The island of Corsica in the Mediterranean witnessed the murder of a freedom fighter which eventually culminated into island-wide riots leaving 76 policemen injured in its wake.

Paradoxically France has even furthered its neo-colonial interests in countries which were never part of its erstwhile empire. In the last two years France has thwarted plans for a peace process in the south Caucasus, ostensibly to please Armenia with whom it has entered into deal of arms sales. French diplomats have publicly reprimanded Azerbaizan, Armenia’s neighbour. Not only this, but also those diplomats instigated the million-strong Armenian diasporas in France to pressurise lawmakers in the French National Assembly to pass laws against Azerbaijan ; also they left no stone unturned in maligning the country in French media.

Whether to say unlikely coincidence or no coincidence at all, Azerbaijan is now at the helm of NAM as its chairperson. After assuming office of chairperson, Azerbaijan had vowed to win back a quarter of the territory of its country known as Nagorno-Karabakh which was illegally occupied by Armenian neo-colonialists for three decades.

In a 44-day war against Armenia in 2020 and later a 24-hour military operation against it in 2023, Azerbaijan finally got back its occupied territories. The fact of Azerbaijan winning back its occupied territories from Armenia did not go down well with France. It reflected in France’s action of using its power initially and unabashedly to undermine European Union-led peace negotiations from within; it sent senior French politicians - including the Mayor of Paris - to Nagorno-Karabakh before its liberation to praise Armenian separatist leaders. In sheer violation of international law related to war, France did not think twice before allowing its own citizens of Armenian descent to fight in the 2020 conflict without penalty.

There are no two opinions about the fact that in order to impede such attempts of geopolitical manipulation, NAM was set up. Azerbaijan’s leadership has resuscitated the group which is evident from international media in far off Australia confirming and writing to vouch for it: “There is life in the Non-Aligned Movement Yet”.

In January 2024, Uganda will take the Chairmanship baton from Azerbaijan. To Uganda’s utter discomfiture; it is also shackled with tentacles of neo-colonialist powers who have asked this traditionalist country to abrogate a law on child protection.

The inherent motive of neo-colonialist powers is to widely spread and teach modern western social mores in Ugandan schools. The Ugandans have out rightly renounced this socially and culturally demeaning directive. It is also for India to stand with Uganda—independent and fellow NAM’s member—and repudiate the unwarranted interference in the Ugandan education system.

With NAM rejuvenating in a new avataar(incarnation), it is high time for all its members alongwith its co-founder India to get their acts together and set up a cohesive group with a view to fight against the act of usurping the sovereignty and wherewithal’s of countries by neo-colonialists belonging to both western and eastern bloc.

If not intervened by NAM members now and left unchecked, the ever-burgeoning presence would get the world poorer, unsafe and susceptible to conflicts. Therefore Churchill’s advice to learn from history has not lost relevance in these modern times.

(The author is a columnist, views are personal)