The NAM summit has been able to achieve so many important goals that sounded almost impossible few years ago, when the echoes of the American interventionism used to resonate loudly in the region

Dr. Ibrahim Mousawi

The NAM summit in Tehran last week, marked a very important development in world events.

This was not only because of the huge number of the participant states and top officials, ( more than 130 states, in addition to more than 30 presidents and premiers were present), among them were very influential figures like the Secretary general of the United Nations Ban-Ki-Mon with his top aides, and the Egyptian president Mohammad Mursi, the Indian Prime minister and other world envoys and delegations, but also because the whole event contributed to the ushering in of a new era in world politics and hence world balance, reminiscent of the old times when multi-polar and bi-polar systems existed.

Aside from this, The NAM summit has been able to achieve so many important goals that sounded almost impossible few years ago, when the echoes of the American interventionism used to resonate loudly in the region.

In an attempt to list the advantages of the summit and most of the results that were brought due to its success, one can mention the following:

- Iran sent a very strong message about the failure of the American and Western isolations plans and policies, old and new. Contrary, the Islamic Republic was able to show how successful its diplomacy was in reversing the sanctions and attempts to relegate the country into a secondary and marginal role.

- The mere convention of the summit has given a significant push to the world attempts to create an independent zone away from the influence of the Western sphere.

- Iran and the NAM countries proved success in addressing the world problems and crisis through their own agenda, and were able to put on the table issues and causes that the West and especially USA wanted always an exclusivity in addressing them and thus making solutions and compromises that suits the American plans.

- The NAM countries were able to give hope to many countries and people that new bodies and congregations could emerge, old ones could rejuvenate and activate themselves and assume roles that could bring balance back into the world scene. This issue was clearly manifested through addressing two very important hot issues; the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian cause. As for the first, the NAM countries reasserted the need for a political solution away from foreign intervention or military options, which falls within the paradigm of the anticipated and much called for solution by very influential regional and international players like, Iran, Russia, china and others.
Concerning the Palestinian cause, the NAM summit succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on track, by redefining clearly the nature of the struggle between an occupying force and people of the land whose land, resources, history and identity are being almost usurped and stolen.

- To sum up the whole argument, the world is going through a very crucial juncture of time, where old and previous superpowers are being replaced by new ones, or at least do not have the same tight grip over world affairs, thus giving the way for new powers to share and exercise influence over world political affairs. The NAM summit falls within this paradigm, “BRICS countries” is another example, however, this is only the beginning, and the real hard developments are yet to unfold in a foreseeable future.

 Dr. Ibrahim Mousawi is a political analyst and the Chief of Hezbollah’s Media Relations.