What is the name of the bloc of nations that pursued non-alignment during the Cold War?

• A. NATO
• B. Warsaw Pact
• C. European Union
• D. Non-Aligned Movement

Answer: (D)

Non-alignment in the Cold War meant choosing to avoid formal alliances with either the U.S.-led Western bloc or the Soviet-led Eastern bloc, in order to preserve independent foreign policy choices. The bloc that pursued this approach became known as the Non-Aligned Movement. It grew out of decolonization and Afro-Asian solidarity, with the Bandung Conference of 1955 and the Belgrade Summit of 1961 catalyzing cooperation among newly independent states from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The aim was to chart an autonomous path, promote peaceful coexistence, development, and anti-imperialism, and resist pressure to pick sides. That is why this option best fits. The other groupings—the NATO alliance, the Warsaw Pact, and the European Union—are formal military blocs or regional integration projects, not a non-aligned stance.