Global History and Politics Dialogues

70 Years since Bandung: Non-Alignment,
Multi-Alignment, and the Role of Middle Powers

15 to 17 April 2025 in Bandung / Jakarta, Indonesia 

The Dialogue will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first Asian-African Conference in Bandung by examining its relevance to today’s global geopolitical strategies as well as its historical influence on the countries in the Global South. It provides a space to engage with expert opinion polling through the Körber Emerging Middle Powers Report, and historical contexts to better understand and address current challenges as well as to discuss strategic thinking in middle powers of the Global South and North.

Objectives

• Strategic insights for today: The evolution of non-alignment into today’s multi-alignment approach, where emerging and traditional middle powers navigate relationships between major actors.

• Exploration of Non-Aligned Movement’s legacy: The legacy of Bandung in shaping contemporary movements like BRICS and its role in shaping the agenda of middle powers in the 20th and 21st century.

• Insights for German and European foreign policy in building partnerships with countries from the Global South, addressing their concerns, and exploring avenues for cooperation, taking into account the results of the second Körber Emerging Middle Powers Report (forthcoming in April 2025).

• Adressing historical “blind spots” in the Global North by integrating historical contexts and the perspectives and experiences of the Global South into the debate on global order and international cooperation. For a better understanding of an increasingly multipolar world.

In cooperation with BRICS Policy Center, Chatham House, FPCI, Gateway House, Oxford University, SAIIA.