India and the Nonaligned Summits

Book excerpt: It historically examines India's impact on the non-aligned movement as manifest at the Belgrade Summit 1961 to the Jakarta Summit 1992. It dilates upon Nehru's eloquent theoretical exposition of non-alignment at the Belgrade Summit, Shastri's concern with regional issues at Cairo and Mrs. Gandhi's espousal of restructuring the international order at Lusaka and at the subsequent conferences as well as Rajiv's optimistic leadership towards the unfinished task of his mother. Special attention has been given to India's performance at the New Delhi summit. It highlights Indian efforts to resolve the various contentious issues that had plagued the movement since the last summit at Havana in 1979 and explains why the Summit was hailed as the fresh beginning of the NAM. Detailed analysis of the post New Delhi Summit era encompassing India's Chairpersonship of the movement under Rajiv Gandhi's leadership, his dynamic support to the African cause at Harare in 1986 and his contribution to moot a Planet Protection fund at the second Belgrade Summit 1989. It also incorporates Mr. Narashimha Rao's strong stand against attaching conditionalities to all forms of assistances, intellectual property rights, terrorism, etc., at the Jakarta Summit 1992.