Yugoslavia's Pivotal Role in Establishing NAM

Towards the end of World War II , Yugoslavia was liberated primarily by its own citizens, with minimal aid from the Red Army or the western allies. Consequently, the newly established communist leadership of Yugoslavia felt justified in pursuing an independent foreign policy. The homegrown nature of the resistance movement further bolstered their political legitimacy among the diverse ethnic groups in the country.

The Yugoslav Communist Party, led by Josip Broz Tito, viewed themselves as equal partners on the global stage rather than subordinate entities. This independent stance, however, did not sit well with Joseph Stalin, the then leader of the Soviet Union , who was wary of smaller states asserting too much independence.

Yugoslavia's independent stance led to an escalation of tensions with Moscow, culminating in the 1948 Tito-Stalin split. This split left Yugoslavia at odds with the rest of the Eastern Bloc nations, necessitating a re-evaluation of its foreign policy.

Initially, Yugoslavia leaned towards the Western Bloc, signing the 1953 Balkan Pact with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) members such as Greece and Turkey. However, Yugoslavia's relations with the West deteriorated following its support for the Soviet invasion of Hungary. This led Yugoslavia to seek new alliances, particularly with emerging nations from former colonies and mandates. Yugoslavia's support for Egypt during the Suez Crisis and its budding relationship with India laid the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement.

At the 1950 session of the United Nations General Assembly session, Edvard Kardeji, Yugoslavia's Foreign Minister, asserted that “Yugoslavia cannot accept mankind choosing to be dominated by one power or another”. In a historic meeting with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Delhi on 22 December 1954, President Josip Tito signed a joint agreement to pursue a policy of collective peace through non-alignment.

An interesting aspect of Yugoslavia's position was its communist government operating within a capitalist economic framework linked to Western Europe.

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Yugoslavia's Approach to NAM Policies

Yugoslavia maintained a strategic distance from both Cold War blocs, while also questioning the affiliations of other NAM members with these blocs. This was particularly aimed at countries like Angola and Vietnam, who were perceived to be leaning towards the Soviet sphere of influence.

Yugoslavia, along with India, introduced several amendments to what they perceived as a pro-Soviet draft of the final declaration of the Havana Conference of the NAM. By 1989, a more balanced document was in place.

Yugoslavia also collaborated with other neutral European countries like Finland to mediate between the two blocs.

During his international visits to other non-aligned countries, President Tito emphasized the need for the Mediterranean to become a zone of peace.

Despite its efforts, Yugoslavia was criticized for its perceived Eurocentric approach and its lukewarm support of decolonisation movements worldwide. However, it was part of the Special Committee on Decolonisation and was one of the members urging the committee to press the United Kingdom to grant independence to its remaining colonies.

Yugoslavia Post-Cold War

The end of the Cold War precipitated the Yugoslav Wars, leading to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Serbia and Montenegro, who claimed the NAM membership in the name of Yugoslavia, saw their membership suspended in 1992.

The six former Yugoslav republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia are currently observer states in the NAM, with none of them being full members. As of 2020, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Slovenia are members of NATO, while Serbia maintains a neutral position on military matters. All of them are either member states or aspiring members of the European Union .

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