Third-worldism

Third-worldism is a tendency within left-wing political thought to regard the division between developed countries, and developing countries or "Third World" nations against the background of primary political importance. Third-worldism tends to offer support to Third World nations and national liberation movements against Western nations or their proxies. Key figures in the Third Worldist movement include Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, Frantz Fanon, Ahmed Ben Bella, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ali Shariati, Andre Gunder Frank, Samir Amin and Simon Malley.^{[citation needed]}

The Bandung Conference, which was held in 1955 in Indonesia, and the resultant formation of the Non-Aligned Movement represented a significant venue for Third World politics during the twentieth century. Third worldism is also closely connected with movements such as Ba'athism, Pan-Africanism, Pan-Arabism, Maoism, African socialism, Arab socialism and Communism.

The New Left led to an explosion of support for Third-worldism, especially after the failure of revolutionary movements in the First World, such as Paris 1968.^{[citation needed]} Among the New Left groups and movements associated with Third Worldism were Monthly Review and the New Communist Movement.^{[citation needed]}

From the 1970s, National liberation movements such as the Palestine Liberation Organization, and African National Congress have been causes célèbres of the movement.^{[citation needed]} More recently, Third-worldism has become a powerful force in the World Social Forum, (particularly since the Mumbai WSF in 2004) and in the Cairo Anti-War Conference.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Third World Socialism

Further reading

• Robert Malley, "The Third Worldist Moment", in Current History, November 1999
• Robert Malley, The Call From Algeria: Third Worldism, Revolution, and the Turn to Islam UC Press
• Toward a Pan-third worldism: A challenge to the association of third world studies. Journal of Third World Studies, Spring 2003 by Bangura, Abdul Karim
• The rise of neo-Third Worldism? the Indonesian trajectory and the consolidation of illiberal democracy, Vedi R Hadiz
• Third Worldism or Socialism?, by Solidarity UK