After the Second World War, when the colonial system collapsed, fascism was defeated. The world was roughly divided into two parts. One was capitalism, the other was socialism. Militarily also, it divided into two blocks. One is NATO and the other Warsaw Pact. In this situation, the threat of a rift between the two countries was mainly the less powerful countries, especially the newly independent underdeveloped countries of Asia and Africa. It was necessary for these countries to come under the same flag in order to maintain their individuality, independence and integrity.
The Commonwealth was formed with the states liberated from British rule. To date, the organization has never been seen to take effective action on any issue between the world and its member states. The group suspended Nigerian membership after Ken Saro-Wiba was executed in 1995, and Pakistan left the Commonwealth after a military coup in 1999. But in many other countries, despite numerous military coups, brutal crackdowns on anti-government groups and anti-human rights legislation, the Commonwealth has not been seen to make a dent due to administrative weaknesses.
NAM’s failures on various issues are quite eye-catching. Since its inception, NAM has not been able to establish such an effective and influential position in the world. NAM’s founding leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Jamal Abdul Nasser changed their support more than once during the Cold War and failed to take a firm stand. But its primary policy was not to support any polar world. The biggest failure of NAM is that its member states have always maintained liaison with the Western blocs, which is in direct conflict with the word ‘non-aligned’. During the Indo-China war, India relied heavily on Western military aid. Egypt builds huge economic ties with the United States. Although the breakup of Yugoslavia did not have much of an impact, NAM began to lose its effectiveness after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Its membership has also surpassed 120, but its effectiveness has been lower than ever before.
In ASEAN countries, especially in Myanmar, no effective action has been taken against military junta repression, indiscriminate shootings and assassinations, and in the development of democracy. The ASEAN Alliance has not been able to take any visible action against the deprivation of the rights of the people and the persecution of them. It can also be said that the ASEAN member countries have not been able to strengthen their unity due to differences in political structures. The alliance has also failed to resolve border disputes between Myanmar and Thailand on the one hand and Indonesia and Malaysia on the other. Similarly, the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia and the right to self-determination raised by some politicians in the Philippines have yet to be resolved.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has 57 member countries. It is the largest international alliance after the United Nations. The alliance represents about 160 crore people. Its foreign ministers are meeting every year, and for three consecutive years there is a conference of heads of state; although the real contribution of these meetings is not felt. While the entire Middle East has become a major battleground in the aftermath of the assassination of General Kashem Solaimani, the OIC is still seen as ineffective. Of the OIC member states, 53 are Muslim-majority. One of the main structural goals of the organization is to look after the just interests of these religious communities and increase cooperation among them. But such a role is quite rare. On the one hand, the organization has failed to increase economic cooperation; on the other hand, it has also played a role in increasing the Shia-Sunni distance within the community.
The Arab League is the largest organization in the Arab world. It is also the second largest organization in the Muslim world. After the Second World War, the Arab League was established on 22 March 1945 with a pledge of mutual cooperation for its own security and financial development. It said the Arab League would stand by member countries to prevent any foreign aggression. They will also take initiative to find a peaceful solution to the crisis created within them. But during the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq and Libya, the role of the Arab League in the crisis of cooperation with other member countries, the supply of arms to various groups in Syria, the attack of the Saudi alliance in Yemen, etc. has been repeatedly questioned. The Arab League has also been blamed for creating divisions among Arab countries in the name of curbing Iran’s influence in the Middle East.
SAARC was formed in 1985. On the other hand, BIMSTEC was formed in 1997. SAARC has faced many problems in the past and most of the problems have arisen due to the hostile relations between India and Pakistan. India’s problems with Pakistan over Kashmir, terrorism and the nuclear issue have hampered SAARC’s activities since its inception. Although SAARC does not allow any bilateral issues to be discussed on its platform, the SAARC rules have not stopped the dilemma between India and Pakistan and the problems arising from the dichotomy between the two countries have affected the organization’s operations. SAARC has not been able to succeed in its activities as an effective body in achieving anything in the region.
(Dr. Forqan is former Deputy Director General, Bangladesh Ansar & VDP)
