Non-Aligned Movement Summits - (New Approaches to International History) by Jovan Cavoski (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Using newly declassified documents from Serbian, British, Indian, Chinese, Myanmar, U.S., and Soviet archives, Non-Aligned Movement Summits shows how the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) gradually evolved into the third force of Cold War politics, enveloping most of the post-colonial and non-bloc world.

Jovan Cavoski follows the evolution of the NAM through its summits and other gatherings, during which major political decisions pertaining to the destiny of the Third World were made. These events were scrutinized by all major powers and had a corresponding effect on their policies. From the Belgrade Conference in 1961 until 1989, all major Third World and non-bloc nations met to demonstrate to the Eastern and Western Blocs that they were independent, active and respected participants in world affairs. Cavoski shows how these summits were also closely related to events occurring in the relationship between the two blocs, providing opportunities for non-bloc actors to influence the global balance of power.

By moving the focus of 20th-century international history away from the bloc nations, and instead giving developing nations in Africa and Asia due attention, this book provides a fresh perspective on Cold War history and fills a significant gap in the literature. It is an important study for all students and scholars of the Cold War and international history.

Review Quotes

"This is a welcome book in many ways... [a] deeply researched book which, thanks in part to its impressive documentary base, succeeds in showing not only the complicated political developments occurring within the NAM but also the pressures exerted on the organization by other international political movements ... Required reading for anyone who wishes to understand the NAM on its own terms." --Carolien Stolte, Leiden University, The Netherlands, Journal of Contemporary History

"In this deeply researched volume, Jovan Cavoski restores the almost forgotten Non-Alignment Movement to its rightful place in history. A product of the Cold War, NAM served the Global South as forum to discuss and push its concerns. Cavoski's superb book opens a much needed perspective on the Cold War outside of the superpower paradigm." --Lorenz Lüthi, Professor, History and Classical Studies, McGill University, Canada

"Through extensive, inventive, and truly global research, Jovan Cavoski has produced an essential international history of the Non-Aligned Movement, prying back the curtain to offer an incisive account of the organization's heated internal politics. This book is an invaluable addition to the history of the Third World project." --Robert Rakove, Lecturer, Stanford University, USA

"At a moment when new great power rivalries are emerging, here is a well-informed history of how the Non-Aligned Movement has attempted to steer clear of entanglements with the power blocs and set out alternatives to a divided world." --O.A. Westad, Elihu Professor of History, Yale University, USA

"[T]he book is... a very valuable reference point for historians of the Cold War and analysts of global South collective action and summitry in global affairs. Readers will gain a better understanding of non-alignment as a policy and as an institutionalized movement." --International Affairs

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