NAM reasserts its relevance

Lynn Ockersz

MEDIA: As should be expected, Western media commentaries and reviews of the recently concluded 14th Nonaligned Movement Summit of Heads of State and Government in Havana, focused mainly on the US-Iran nuclear issue, the Israeli military incursion into Southern Lebanon, the US military invasion of Iraq and some questions flowing from them.

Besides the inherent topicality of these issues and their potential for sensational treatment, their almost tangible relevance for Western states accounts for the priority attached to these problems by the Western media.

However, there is much in the NAM Summit final declaration which is of tremendous importance to the Third World, which has been glossed over or ignored by the Western media.

This should bring back to the minds of Third World observers the need for a collectively-formed independent, media arm of the Third World which could comment vibrantly and intelligently on issues of deep relevance to the developing countries.

The New International Information Order concept, which was a hot, NAM topic of the early Seventies, has by no means been exhausted of its relevance. It should be revived and implemented for the greater good of NAM and the Third World.

It is futile to speak of Third World political, economic and cultural independence, without a NAM media or information arm which could articulate its point of view on relevant issues.

Coming back to the NAM final declaration, it should be noted that while speaking on terrorism it also "asks that terrorism not be associated with any religion, nationality on ethnic group..."

This is NAM perceptiveness of the highest order which needs to be reflected on and appreciated. The pronouncement, besides putting the record straight on the real nature of "terror", is an important corrective to the widespread practice among the Western media to associate terror with the Islamic faith or the "Arab race".

The use of violence and force for the achievement of political aims, which is terror; cannot be associated with this or that faith or ethnic group because it is never sanctioned by the totality of these groups. Nor is terror sanctioned by the relevant religious texts or creeds. In fact there are Muslim groups in the West which denounce violence and disassociate themselves from it.

Therefore, hopefully the NAM pronouncement would have the effect of diminishing the "demonizing" of specific religious and ethnic groups.

The NAM declaration also refers to the disproportionate power wielded by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and calls for more equitable representation of the world community in the Council. Among other things, the declaration calls for UN Security Council vetoes to be "overruled by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly."

This pronouncement goes to the very heart of the ineqalities in the current global power structure. The NAM represents two thirds of humanity but hardly enjoys any power in the UN Security Council which is, of course, a virtual epitome of Western power.

This is an issue NAM would need to constantly focus on and campaign on in the councils of the world.

The UN should be transformed into a world organization which would help in furthering the just aspirations of the majority of mankind and cease being an instrument of mainly Western power.

Accordingly NAM would need to agitate consistently for UN reform and the restructuring of the Security Council to enable it to function as a truly multilateral body. On the issue of democracy, the declaration says, among other things, that "there is no single model of democracy, that it does not belong to any country or region, and that sovereignty and the right to self-determination should be respected."

This is indeed of immense relevance to the Third World and the political issues assailing it. The right of self-determination of people, which is closely related to their sovereignty, needs to be deeply respected by particularly the world's big powers.

The situations in Southern Lebanon and Iraq are graphic reminders of the wanton disregard which greets calls for respecting the sovereign rights of the people.

However, this point on democracy is a double-edged sword par excellence.

Inasmuch as the sovereign rights of states need to be respected, the rulers of states need to respect the democratic rights of their peoples and publics. So, authoritarian, repressive rule too is called in question and challenged.

Hopefully, NAM would continue to keep these issues in focus in the days ahead and agitate for real, positive and progressive change. The majority of humanity waits expectantly.