During the Cold war, the nonaligned countries practiced a policy of neutrality vis-a-vis the two antagonistic blocks (Western and communist) while refusing to align itself on one of the two blocks. The majority of these countries belong to the Tiers-monde. The movement not aligned emerges besides at the same time as the concept of Tiers-monde (Années 1950).

The initiators of the policy of non-alignment are: Tito (Yugoslavia), Nasser (Egypt), Nehru (India), like Sukarno (Indonesia), U Naked (Burma) and Hailé Sélassié (Ethiopia). After the meeting of Tito, Nasser and Nehru on the island of Briono Veli in 1956, the first conference of the nonaligned countries takes place with Belgrade in 1961. Other conferences take place: with the Cairo (1964), with Lusaka (1970), with Algiers (1973), with Colombo (1976).

The Anticolonialisme is the only true point of rallying of the nonaligned countries and divisions between those which practice a real neutralism (Yugoslavia), those which lean towards the the USSR by refusal of the Colonialisme (Algérie, India, Egypt) and those which are anchored in the Soviet block (Cuba, China, Ethiopia) or Westerner (Saudi Arabia) make visible the lack of unit of the countries. In the Years 1970, these divisions burst at the great day.

Since, the movement not aligned concentrates on the claims of the Developing country for sustainable development.

See too

• G-15
• Conference of Belgrade
• Conference of Algiers
• Movement of non-aligned the