Leaders and diplomats from over 120 nations gathered in Tehran for the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit last week.This event is meaningful both for Iran's diplomacy and the global anti-America politics.

Hosting such a major event means that Iran has broke through the diplomatic isolation forged by the United States and other Western countries since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and enhanced as a result of the country's intransigence over nuclear issues in the past decade.

Top national leaders, including presidents, prime ministers and monarchs from over 50 countries participated in the summit, with over 150 delegations participating in summit events.The presences of so many celebrities, though in the name of participating in the NAM Summit, also deliver complicated political intentions of various participants.

The arrival of Mohamed Morsi, the newly elected president of Egypt, in some ways marked the conclusion of thirty years of hostility between Cairo and Tehran. In 1979, Egypt hosted Reza Pahlavi, the former Shah of Iran ousted by the Islamic revolution. Iran, in return, enshrined the assassinator of former Egyptian president Anwar Sada as a hero. Morsi's trip, albeit very brief, means that Egypt is ready to take advantage of the demise of its previous regime to turn the page on relations with Iran.

The appearance of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the summit is another diplomatic victory for Iran. Although the United States and Israel tried hard to dissuade Ban from attending the summit, Ban seemed to be glad to take the opportunity to listen to the voices of some of the more vulnerable members of the international community. In addition, Ban's presence suggests that he prefers to engage Iran rather than confront it.

As one of the major challengers of the incumbent international order, Iran has its own interpretations and positions regarding major regional and international issues. As the host of the NAM summit, Tehran received an opportunity to directly express its views before an international audience.

At the summit's opening ceremony, Iran's foreign affairs minister Ali Akbar Salehi delivered an eight-point speech on Iran's positions regarding values, terrorism, and UN reform. He also commented on the Syrian crisis, the Palestinian issue and Iran's nuclear program.

In an Aug. 30 speech, Seyed Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, emphasized that Iran is committed to peaceful use of nuclear energy but will not give up its legal rights.

Over the past decade, the NAM has witnessed a slow but significant transformation from an institution for non-alignment politics into a forum for developing countries to express and coordinate their common positions on major international issues from international trade to climate change.

As the host for this year's summit, Iran also had the opportunity to shape the meeting into a major international stage for global anti-Americanism. As an ambitious NAM member, Iran has been active in cultivating anti-Americanism at the organization's events. Dissatisfaction with the US as a hegemonic power has always been the common ground of the movement.

The attendance of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, North Korean top official Kim Yong-nam, and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe indicated that almost all major countries who oppose US-led hegemony sent delegations to the summit at the highest possible levels. The participation of certain more pro-US members, including Jordan and Bahrain, did not meaningfully dilute the general anti-American sentiment. In some ways, the summit seemed to appear more like a rally of anti-American forces.

The coming three years will witness Tehran holding the chairmanship of the NAM. It is almost certain that Tehran will input its radical anti-American agendas into the schedules of the NAM. As a result, Tehran will most likely become the center of global anti-Americanism.

The success of this year's NAM forum indicates that many countries identify with Iran's quest to challenge the incumbent international order. The US should take into account this new development, as well as Iran's chairmanship of the NAM, when formulating policy for its future dealings with the country.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit http://www.ccgp-fushun.com/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm

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