non-alignment

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the foreign policy position of states that refuse to formally align with or join the military alliance systems of any great power bloc, seeking instead to maintain independence, pursue national interests through diplomacy, and avoid entanglement in the conflicts of major powers; the Non-Aligned Movement was formally established at the 1961 Bandung-era Belgrade conference, drawing together newly decolonised nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the leadership of figures including Nehru, Nasser, Nkrumah, Sukarno, and Tito; non-alignment reflected postcolonial aspirations for genuine sovereignty and the refusal to substitute one form of external domination for another