Publisher's Synopsis
Third World in recent years, particularly after the end of the Cold War, have been in a steady decline. The concept of the Third World is being questioned for its relevance as a concept in the contemporary world political order. The new world order, embedded in neo-liberal ideas, in the post-Cold War period has created new forces in the International Relations. Now political developments have altered the character of global politics in many ways. However, the second half of the twentieth century experienced the process of decolonisation in Asia and Africa, superpower rivalry and the Cold War, Cuban Missile crisis, finally the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the rise of United States as a dominant power in the New World Order. In the midst of all these, one significant development occurred in the post-colonial world. During the Cold War years some of the post-colonial states took a lead to avoid confrontational politics of the two major powers. These states invited other newly independent states from different continents and started a movement called the Non-aligned Movement (NAM). In few years, NAM acquired a forceful position in world politics. Leading states from the NAM bargained on vital issues at various international forums such as the United Nations.
During the Cold War period, NAM became one of the focal points in the literature on international politics. Academics, policy-makers, strategists and statesmen took the rise of the NAM seriously. The politics of the post-colonial states between the two different ideological fronts was an interesting idea to study closely. Many IR scholars produced useful academic work to understand the politics of the post-colonial states in international politics. In the meantime, the post-colonial states acquired a new term of reference - The Third World.
