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CUBA REVIVES NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT WITH A SUCCESSFUL SUMMIT.

Article Excerpt
Cuba hosted the 14th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Havana Sept. 11-16. The NAM is a grouping of nations, now 118-strong, set up in 1961 by Third World nations that wanted to avoid being crushed during the Cold War either by Washington or Moscow by not aligning with either. With the end of the Cold War, the group has struggled to find relevance. Member states now believe they have found that relevance as Cuba takes over the presidency of the organization for the next three years. Cuba seeks to guide the revival of the movement as a defender of Third World interests disregarded by global capitalism.

More than 50 heads of state attended the summit, as did UN Secretary General UN Kofi Annan. The membership is composed of 53 countries of Africa, 38 of Asia along with four associates, and 24 from Latin America and the Caribbean. Haiti and Saint Kitts-Nevis became members during the summit, bringing the total to 118. In addition to Latin America's full members, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay attended as observers. The region's representation is expected to grow again with the addition of one more nation. Argentina dropped out in 1991 when then President Carlos Menem (1989-1999) changed his country's status to aligned, with the US. President Nestor Kirchner now wants back in and sent a guest delegation headed by Argentina's Ambassador to Cuba Dario Alessandro.

US absence is China's advantage

The US was absent from the summit, which it usually attends as an observer. With the Soviet Union gone, the US is now the sole target of NAM's objectives, the defense of multilateralism and...

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