Tine policy of nonalignment has been an active force in international relations for over twenty years. It found acceptance among a wide range of nations with differing political and ideological outlooks. However, they did share an aversion to big power politics and a desire to be more tnan a mere pawn in the struggle for "influence" by the super powers. The majority of these countries were of the so called Third World, that vast area encompassing Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Despite a wide divergence in history and culture, they share one dominant characteristic in the present era; that is, a depressing level of poverty and economic underdevelopment.