Abstract <p>This article aims to reconstruct the early formative years of the Yugoslav-Burmese partnership, an unlikely combination that exercised considerable influence on both internal and external policies of the two nations, while also having a major impact on the evolution of global non-alignment, as well as on the developments related to the regional Cold War in Asia and Europe. What strongly bonded the two nations were their aspirations to pursue a non-bloc and independent foreign policy. Both countries, which had no other mutual affiliation throughout history, finally managed to redefine their policies both at home, on the regional level, and globally through shaping a non-aligned alternative to bloc policies.</p>