3.2.2. A Contemporary Assessment

At the very outset one has to distinguish between the idea of non-alignment and the membership of Non Aligned movement.

In the opinion of David M. Malone, “Non-alignment, in theory...allowed India to play the two superpowers and their related blocs off against each other, although after the 1950s, India was not successful in doing so.” He also argues that “the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that Nehru played such a large role in bringing about and shaping was a useful placeholder for India at a time when its leaders needed to devote the bulk of their time to pressing internal challenges.”

In the opinion of former diplomat Rajiv Sikri:

Non-alignment as a policy option for India, as distinct from the Non-Aligned Movement, was essentially about resisting pressures to join rival camps during the Cold War and about

examining foreign policy options on merit. In short, it was about having an independent foreign policy. This national consensus remains very strong in India, and has nothing to do with the so-called ‘Cold War mentality’ as many analysts derisively claim.

Similarly many like former diplomat G. Parthsarthy emphasize on drawing a distinction between being “non-aligned” and being a member of the “Non-Aligned Movement”, in contemporary times. In his words “non-alignment in the post-Cold War era is still relevant and really means the freedom to choose a wide range of partners to cooperate with on different issues, to protect our national interests. Thus, while being non-aligned gives us the flexibility to choose our partners and partnerships, the Non-Aligned Movement is a forum of little relevance in today’s world.” As rightly pointed out by put by Shyam Saran, Non Aligned Movement is not what determined India’s non alignment; rather it is India’s non alignment that facilitated the functioning of the movement.

Furthermore, since the end of the Cold War, India has become a key member of various multilateral groupings:

♤ BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) for protecting and promoting its interests on climate change;

♤ G4 for pushing through reforms of the UN Security Council;

♤ G20 for managing the world economy;

♤ BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) to enhance economic coordination with countries that are similarly placed;