The perceptual base of nonalignment

Abstract

Almost two-thirds of the nations in the world have chosen not to join either of the two dominant alliance systems—the Communist of the Western. Most of these states, generally known as the "third world." are Afro-Asian and their nonalignment signifies freedom from constraints imposed by alliances with major powers (Rossi, 1963). While it is misleading to consider the nonaligned states as a group homogenous in attitude and behavior the degree of variation among them is largely an empirical question. This articled examines the attitudinal orientation of three Afro-Asian nations—India, Egypt, and Indonesia—during the later 1950s and early 1960s, an important period in the development of nonalignment. Our primary objective is to identify the more general perceptions at the base of this policy. The model of the international system implicit in our analysis is admittedly oversimplified,, for the world is more complex than simply major powers and nonaligned states. However, for the purpose of systematic analysis, a parsimonious model is more useful than an intricate, though undoubtedly more realistic, portrayal of the international system.