Is NAM relevant in today's Multipolar World?
In the present context when we attended the NAM virtual meeting, skipping the last two, it actually becomes a concern whether adhering to NAM will reap us any good and how much of relevance does it hold today. India’s non-aligned foreign policy raised its head in certain historical environment. The cold war began the year when we became independent and so because of varied reasons we wanted to stay away from it. We remained an inward looking economy during the time of cold war, but by the end of it, we opened our economy to other nation states. Trade and investment ties brought growth at our ends. So, to boost our geopolitical and economic interest, India’s foreign policy needed to adjust likewise for example having ties with all major powers, new strategic partnerships etc. The prevalent idealist mindset of those times too was playing a role. Today, we have strategic partnerships with numerous countries be that USA, France, Russia etc. USA designated India as a major defense partner. ...