Imam Emphasized on Independence of NAM Movement

Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, used to advice the member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to adopt an independent stance on the problems facing the people across the world.
Iran became an active member of the NAM after it joined the NAM movement soon after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in the country in 1979.
Imam Khomeini strongly opposed dependence on either Eastern or Western powers. The Islamic Revolution led by the great Imam challenged the American capitalism and the then Soviet Union’s communism with the slogan of "neither East, nor West.”
Imam believed in great importance and political significance of such an alliance that could reduce or diminish dependence on the hegemonic powers.
The movement was established by some independent-minded leaders of the nations during cold wartime in 1961 when the world was divided into two power blocs.
Imam, the great champion of unity among emerging nations and oppressed people, always stressed on cleansing the NAM movement from dependent elements and puppets.
This comes as 16th Summit of the NAM Movement kicked off in Tehran on August 26, 2012.
The great Imam constantly highlighted the importance and independence of the NAM Movement and stressed on protecting it from influence of hegemonic powers.
International department of the Imam Khomeini Institute has selected some of Imam’s valuable sayings and his precious pieces of advice in this regard.

Non-alignment of countries in relation to the hegemonic powers

The conference that the founders of the movement started was composed of individuals that were very devoted to Islam and to their own countries and were independent of the big powers. But today they are composed of various types; many of them are non-aligned while some of them are those that if they were to be non-aligned, then we must not be having aligned. If the Jordanian Husayn[1] and Hasan[2] and Hosni Mubarak[3] and their likes are non-aligned, then all are non-aligned; thus, we must not say one group is aligned and one group is non-aligned. Of the tasks that this non-aligned conference must perform and which is of utmost importance, and it must undertake it even later on, is that it separate the aligned from the non-aligned. They should not allow every person who claims to be non-aligned in their ranks. It is possible that there are individuals that are more dependent and are slaves of the East and the West than the existing aligned ones and if they enter this group, penetrate, and gain influence among them, they shall deviate from the path and cause others to deviate.

(Sahifeh ye-Imam, Vol. 17, PP. 361-362)

Need to clean out the dependent elements from the non-aligned countries

These non-aligned countries must first separate these countries that want to be independent, these countries that want to make themselves non-aligned. They must first clean their assembly, their conference, their movement of those elements that in the name of non-alignment infiltrated them and want to serve either America—the majority are such—or the Soviet Union that also has a large following. If they join your ranks, they will not allow you to remain non-aligned; they will not permit you to work for the weaker countries; they will not permit you to end your dependence from those countries. They are ahead of you in sloganeering. You see in the conference that was held a few days ago and has concluded, one of those that supported it was America, an America that wants to dominate the whole world! If it had been apprehensive of this conference lest the conference issue a statement against it, it would have never praised it, but they praised it. This is because they are confident of the individuals that have entered this conference like Husayn of Jordan and Hosni Mubarak and their likes and Saddam. They have gained entry in the name of being non-aligned; and these non-aligned want that you, too, should become non-aligned like them. If you truly want to remain a non-aligned group, leaders of the non-aligned movement and practice your policy of non-alignment, then the topmost priority is to cleanse it. If there is a single corrupt person among you, he shall not permit you to do your job. You must first banish the likes of these, Saddam, Husayn, Hosni and Hasan from your regular members so that you can organize a proper conference and be a non-aligned movement. Otherwise, once every few years you gather with all that much trouble, expenses and problems, you do not do anything beyond proposing a single issue and discussing it and then not taking action. This is because those that have infiltrated your ranks are not allowing the performance of tasks.

(Sahifeh ye-Imam, Vol. 17, P. 363)

Non-alignment of Iran in relation to the powers

The topmost priority should be to push them aside and take the seat yourself. In the same way that Iran does not extend its hands towards anyone in these past few years and has remained independent and both its women and men are resisting vis-à-vis America, the Soviet Union and vis-à-vis any transgressor. They are truly non-aligned; they neither have cultural dependence nor military dependence and nor any other dependence. However, if there is a place that says they do not have military dependence but have cultural dependence, in that case the cultural dependence if worse than military dependence, it is dependence not alignment. Those that say aligned and non-aligned are dependent and are the chained slaves of some of them. If you do not want to be dependant, you must change from the grassroots; you must not align from the military aspect alone. You must be non-aligned and non-dependent in industry, culture and in all matters that are required by a country. If it becomes thus, then you are non-aligned and can stand on your own feet. If these individuals enter your ranks then they will not allow you to remain non-aligned and they will make you dependent and make it worse than alignment for you because alignment is mutual whereby one party makes a commitment for the other party and the other party makes a commitment for that one. However, they want to make you dependant and unquestionably and in the same manner that they themselves are dependant and are working for them whereby they place all the wealth of their own countries with all those poor people that are living throughout their respective into the pockets of the superpowers. When they enter in your midst, they will do the same thing with you. I hope that the truly non-aligned reflect on this and throw out these corrupt leftover persons so that they are able to do something for their own countries and for their oppressed nations.