Neutrality and Neutralism in the Global Cold War: The Non-Aligned Movement in the East-West Conflict

Description

This book sheds new light on the role of neutral states and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the global Cold War. The volume places the neutrals and the NAM in the context of the Cold War and demonstrate the links between the East, the West and the so-called 'Third World'. It thus provides readers with an alternative way of exploring the evolution and impact of the Cold War on North-South connections that challenges traditional notions of the post-1945 history of international relations. The various contributions are framed against the backdrop of two broad historical developments: the evolution of the Cold War international system (roughly from the establishment of the People s Republic of China in 1949 to the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1990) and the decolonization process in the Southern hemisphere. All contributions proceed from the simple premise that these two historical processes were inexorably linked and affected the policy choices of virtually all countries. In particular, the interconnections between the Cold War and decolonization produced what is widely referred to as the 'Global Cold War'. Within the context of these two broad developments, several European states adopted (or continued to adhere to in the case of Sweden and Switzerland) a foreign policy of neutrality, while most newly independent countries in Asia and Africa endeavored to avoid direct alignment with either the Soviet Union or the United States. Many of these countries participated in the 1955 Afro-Asian Conference at Bandung and later collaborated to form the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. Via a series of case studies, the chapters here explore the ensuing internal and (mainly) external policy choices of these nations in the Global Cold War. By juxtaposing the policies of European neutrals and countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, the book offers new perspectives on the evolution of the Cold War. This book will be of much interest to students of Cold War Studies, international history, foreign policy, security studies and IR in general." Cover Title Copyright Contents Notes on contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: a tightrope walk – neutrality and neutralism in the global Cold War PART I The evolution of neutrality and non-alignment 1 Non-aligned to what? European neutrality and the Cold War 2 Roots of the Non-Aligned Movement in neutralism: Yugoslavia, Finland and the Soviet political border with Europe 1948–61 3 The Bandung Conference: ideological conflict and the limitations of US propaganda 4 “Companions in misfortune”: from passive neutralism to active un-commitment – the critical role of Yugoslavia 5 Non-Alignment, 1961–74 6 “Third world begins to flex its muscles”: the Non-Aligned Movement and the North–South conflict during the 1970s PART II Neutrality and neutralism in practice 7 An Austrian mediation in Vietnam? The superpowers, neutrality and Kurt Waldheim’s good offices 8 The Non-Aligned Movement, the neutral European countries and the issue of Namibian independence 9 Neutrality unbound: Sweden, foreign aid and the rise of the non-aligned Third World 10 Neutrality as a business strategy: Switzerland and Latin America in the Cold War 11 Cubans in Angola: internationalist solidarity, transfers and interactions in the Global South 1975–91 Conclusion: neutrality and non-alignment during and beyond the Cold War Index