“ Iran’s pivotal role in international diplomacy with China, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka indicates the lead role Teheran can play in building bridges with the rest of NAM members to bring political stability and peace to the conflict zones. It will not be a challenge to the US or the west, but it is a way of finding an alternate to the problems that the West has forced on the poorer nations in the world, an opportunity the NAM has been waiting for a long time.”________________________
by Saybhan Samat
(May 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Political analysts claim that the recent visit of president Ahmadinejad to three vital south Asian countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka who are all members of the Non Aligned Movement is a precursor to Iran’s wish to revive the Non Aligned Movement as formulated by the founding father of NAM who were six outstanding leaders of the last century, Sukarno of Indonesia, Nehru of India, Nkrumah of Ghana, Nasser of Egypt and Tito of Yugoslavia followed by our own madam Srimavo Bandaranayake who had the distinction of being the Head of the movement in 1976 when the NAM summit was held in Sri Lanka. She received praise respect and admiration from all members of the NAM in the way she conducted the conference as head of the NAM. In fact the image and fame of our tiny island spread world wide after the conference.
The Non-Aligned Movement was established in 1955 when the world was bi-polar. The US and the then Soviet Union were the two super powers. The NAM movement was initially formed to prevent these two super powers from interfering in the internal and political thinking of their elected governments. NAM members also wanted to establish economic and cultural ties among themselves and co-operate with the super powers if it was gainful to them. They desired very much to prevent war among themselves and also to prevent war between the nuclear armed super powers. It was obvious that their objectives were noble and even the contending super powers respected the NAM.
After the world became unipolar with the US emerging as the only super power on the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the NAM gradually lost its importance as a vibrant political force. After the US became the only super power it lost its balance as Russia was not in a position to contain US aggression and greed. The US subjugated third world countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.
Iran with was demonized since day one of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 has now emerged as a power player in the Middle-East, and now with its new policy “Look East” (neghe be Shargh) steered by foreign minister Manoucher Mottaki a new chapter in Iran- Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India has been conceived in Tehran principally as a reaction to the regime of sanctions and limitations imposed by the west.
Ahmadinejad’s “Look-East” strategy, taking a page or two from India’s own eastern starategy of the 1970s through the 1990s, pins its hopes on building win-win bilateral and multi-lateral relations and co-operation in the economic, political and cultural spheres with the non-western world. This is basically a subset of an ambitious global strategy that prioritizes ties with various countries like Asia, Africa, Central and Latin America, that are visibly anti-American such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia, all members of the NAM.
These strategical diplomatic moves backed by bi-lateral economic and trade agreements is bound to be the opening of a new chapter to revive the Non-Aligned Nations Movement with a grouping of 118 nations today. NAM contains more than 55% of the world population and 61% of the UN members.
Iran’s pivotal role in international diplomacy with China, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka indicates the lead role Teheran can play in building bridges with the rest of NAM members to bring political stability and peace to the conflict zones. It will not be a challenge to the US or the west, but it is a way of finding an alternate to the problems that the West has forced on the poorer nations in the world, an opportunity the NAM has been waiting for a long time. All these moves by Iran has out foxed European and American diplomatic strategies. Both the EU and the US are looking rather silly. These moves initiated by Iran is a harbinger for Asian superiority and the 21st century will be the century where Asia may be the super power.
Iranian president Ahamadinejad’s visit to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India is not only a boost to the friendly diplomatic ties between Iran and those countries, but it should also be considered as a very big boost to the idea of the NAM, which has been inactive all these years since the world became unipolar with the US having its own way, invading Iraq on cooked-up intelligence without UN sanctions, attacking Afghanistan without any evidence that Osama bin Laden was involved in 9/11 attack, helping Israel to impose a Holocaust on the Palestinians, interfering in Lebanon, trying to overthrow the elected government led by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela engaging in torture at Abu Gharib and Guantanomo Bay and abusing all human-rights.
Only a force like the NAM with a grouping of 118 nations today which contains 55% of the world population and 61% UN members can offer resistance to the imperialists in the EU and the US. It is no secret that the UN under the control of the powerful countries in the West is incapable of implementing the objectives of its Charter. Iran has to work hard and quickly to revive the NAM as soon as possible to save the oppressed, poverty stricken people of the world. This is an immense task but many political analysts believe that president Ahmadinejad is capable of doing it.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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