Malta in the Non-Aligned Movement : an analysis of its diplomacy

Abstract

Diplomacy is the art of negotiation between states. It is a vital tool for a small country to navigate its way through an international system dominated by more powerful states. Malta joined the Non Aligned Movement in 1973. This move was in line with the foreign policy aims of the Maltese government at that time: membership in the NAM distanced Malta from its colonial past (a British military base was still on its territory) and consolidated its position of neutrality in international affairs. The international system at that time was dominated by the Cold War - a state of continuous tension between the East and West. Much of the NAM's work is undertaken at the United Nations in New York. Malta's involvement in multilateral diplomacy at the UN and other international organisations was often influenced by the principles of the NAM, even though the Movement was not always involved directly in Malta's actions. Malta itself was not influential in the Movement but rather rode the non-aligned diplomatic wagon to establish significant bilateral relations and benefit both economically and politically. Malta went through several political developments but retained its policy of neutrality and non alignment in international affairs even though the relevance of the NAM was put into question after the end of the Cold War. The NAM increasingly became a voice for the Global South while Malta applied for membership into the European Union, which it joined in 2004.