The Third Way: Yugoslavia and the Making of the Non-Aligned Movement

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course explores a history of internationalism that largely receded from view after the collapse of socialism in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. At its center stands socialist Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito, whose dramatic break with Stalin opened space for a distinctive vision of global cooperation beyond the Cold War binary. The course traces Yugoslavia's pivotal role in the emergence of the Non-Aligned Movement, from the 1955 Bandung Conference to the 1961 Belgrade Summit, examining how the country positioned itself between East and West while forging political, economic, and cultural alliances with newly decolonized states across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Through case studies of developmental aid, medical missions, cultural exchange, and military support, students will explore how a relatively small socialist state sought to express solidarity with anticolonial struggles while simultaneously expanding its global influence. Special attention is given to Yugoslavia's engagement with Africa, where Tito's image as a different kind of European-shaped by antifascist struggle, fragile sovereignty, and a non-racialized vision of internationalism-was often met with fascination and respect. Situating the Non-Aligned Movement within broader histories of Cold War internationalism and postcolonial globalization, the course invites students to rethink global connections and to consider alternatives to the bipolar political order of the twentieth century.