The Increasing Global Traction of Heine’s Concept of “Active Non-Alignment”
An article for The Hindustan Times titled When world leaders speak like academics, spotlit the book, The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition (Polity Press 2025), written by Ambassador Jorge Heine, former Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies and Chilean ambassador, and his co-authors, Carlos Fortin and Carlos Ominami. The article highlights how the concept known as “active non-alignment” (ANA), developed by the three Chilean authors, has increasingly shaping how countries navigate today’s complex geopolitical landscape, especially among leaders in countries in the Global South. As originally defined, ANA reflects a “pragmatic, non-ideological, almost transactional character,” offering policymakers a flexible approach to international engagement in a rapidly changing world.
ANA presents a strategic alternative to traditional alliance politics by emphasizing adaptability and independence rather than fixed alignment with major powers. In The Non-Aligned World, the authors argue that, in an era of intensifying U.S.–China rivalry, countries must avoid being locked into binary choices and instead expand their room for maneuver.
As they note, ANA “makes it possible to take advantage of Great Power competition to increase policy options and margins of maneuver,” enabling states to engage selectively on a case-by-case basis. Examples highlighted include India’s participation in both the Quad and BRICS, as well as its independent stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict; illustrating how countries can simultaneously pursue economic and strategic interests across competing blocs.
The article further highlights leaders, such as Indonesia’s president and Malaysia’s prime minister, who have explicitly invoked ANA to justify policies that preserve national autonomy while promoting diplomatic flexibility. The framework is especially visible in regions like Latin America, where countries maintain deep economic ties with China while continuing to rely on U.S. investment, demonstrating a deliberate effort to build interdependence rather than dependency.
The authors also point to cases like Ecuador’s pivot toward China after a stalled agreement with the U.S., reinforcing ANA’s emphasis on pragmatic, opportunity-driven decision-making. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s observation that global crises create moments where “the old is dying and the new cannot be born,” Heine and his co-authors position ANA as a strategic response to this transitional era—one that allows states to navigate uncertainty by prioritizing economic interests and resisting rigid geopolitical binaries.
The full article can be read here.
A former research professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Jorge Heine is a diplomat, international relations scholar, and lawyer. He is currently a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute. He has served as an ambassador of Chile to China, India, and South Africa. Heine has written over fifteen books, including The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition (2025), which provides insights on how the Global South can navigate the changing diplomatic landscape amid the U.S.-China rivalry.