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Comment by Uchikoma | Hacker News Reader

"NAM is one of the actual reason, that a war between the West Bloc and East Bloc never really happened."

This seems to be a view not widely held outside of NAM countries. Do you have any facts, events e.g. to support that claim? e.g. how NAM countries worked during the Cuban crisis? Or how NAM countries helped during the Able Archer crisis? Or how they were involved in the Berlin crisis of 61 with the T-54 and M-48 tank standoffs? (three events that come to mind where the cold war was nearly going hot)

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yes, Please read the NAM wiki. The design of the NAM was actually for as per the official definition, was to break the cold war. And ever since, it so happened, it has been struck with a lack of direction.

Well, isn't it obvious? During cold war, countries were being pressed to join either of the blocs, but NAM provided a barrier against this pressing, when countries unanimously agreed to stay neutral and share the opinion.

Due to its nature, that whatever was happening, was on a diplomatic behind closed doors basis, where discussions were being held about stances hiding it from both US and USSR bloc, it is very hard to trace, what they really did, and how they did it. But, with a attendance of 55% or 115 countries, you cannot rule it out as just another organization.

EDIT: http://mealib.nic.in/?2029

please check out this official foreign policy extract from 1983, it was a big event in world politics. reading only the Introduction will let you know.

I have a plush toy on my desk here that keeps my town from being hit by asteroids. It works fantastic, no asteroids have hit this town since I put it there.

Surely there's a better way of expressing yourself that isn't so snarky and condescending.

I'm judging that you are trying to say something in a sarcastic manner, but can you elaborate please? It did not connect.

My claim that a plush toy has been keeping this town from being hit by asteroids is roughly equivalent to your claim that NAM countries were "the actual reason that a war between the West Bloc and the East Bloc never really happened".

A plush toy, is only a non-living thing, that sits and do nothing, NAM is a 115 country strong organization, most of which are countries that joined it to not align based on military issues, but on development issues, with someone like India, who have also been under colonial rule like them

> NAM is a 115 country strong organization

Thus not India.

what I said was that it was one of the reasons, not the only reason.

Sorry to be frank, but

"Due to its nature, that whatever was happening, was on a diplomatic behind closed doors basis, where discussions were being held about stances hiding it from both US and USSR bloc, it is very hard to trace, what they really did, and how they did it. "

does not contain any facts and sounds more like something from the X-Files.

I'm not sure what you mean with "NAM Wiki", if you mean the Wikipedia page, I've read that one and couldn't find anything on how they worked to prevent a war.

This is how it worked somewhat: Bloc A and B are pressing Country C and D and more to join one of them. Alone, the pressure is a huge deal for these countries, who are fresh out of colonial rules. Country E, which was also under colonial rule until recently and shares a lot of things with these other countries decides to collaborate with them in dealing with the pressure, Bloc A and B are exerting. So together, all the countries were able to stand firm against this pressure, just like the story of 5 brothers and 5 sticks. On the other side, as a third front, they also pushed the Bloc A and B to hold bilateral talks.

I'm finding it difficult to reconcile the lack of prestige or power of Indian diplomacy (compare to China, France, UK, US, Russia) against the idea that they were significant behind closed doors in averting Cold War crises. Where did all this diplomatic skill go after the Cold War? Where was it before the Cold War crises really took off? Skilled diplomatic corps aren't things that can be conjured out of thin air.

Certainly India would have been a powerful addition to either side of the Cold War, and declaring a third path was a powerful statement to make in itself, but it doesn't follow that the Cold War would have gone live if it weren't for Indian diplomats.

Now, I don't really believe that India or NAM actually played a key/direct/active role in preventing a war on one those provocative and volatile occasions, triggered by either side but I do believe that NAM provided a platform for a large number of countries to stay out of the 'big-game'.

For one, it prevented the world from being totally polarized into two opposites which was, (no dear I do not have a mathematical proof for this statement), a good reason for shelling not happening across every border on this planet - well, simply because the idea of if you are not a friend you are an enemy was absent and NAM was the reason.

AFAIK NAM or India was not at all involved in any direct intervention of any war or war like situation (esp. b/w the big two). India was not capable of doing this either with military power or diplomacy. Hell, it just wanted to stay out of the cross-fire having recently been freed and trying to be on its own feet with a plethora or problems at hand related to caste, religion, education and poverty etc.

>>three events that come to mind where the cold war was nearly going hot

Yeah, that is what happens when sensational journalism and films take over. All we see and remember of a decades long conflict are cannons being fired and spies shooting with silencered pistols :-)

This. It didn't stop the USA and USSR from directly confronting each other, but the pledge of neutrality and a 'third bloc' formed by many significant countries from disparate parts of the world (particularly key were Yugoslavia, United-Arab-Republic/Egypt, Indonesia, India, etc.) undoubtedly had a big effect to ensure that the rest of the world wasn't about to be 'carved up' into spheres of influence or be drawn into proxy wars.

You are giving yourselves too much credit. A nuclear war between USA and USSR would be the war to end all wars. It matters not what other countries did or did not do. The only reason it did not happen is because thankfully both of them were not that crazy. It would have been MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). So my point is, what exactly are you giving yourself credit for?

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