News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal:--- Powers rise and fall in the world, which has been a permanent feature of international politics right from the dawn of civilization. In the annals of history, different empires rose and fell. Egyptian Empire, Akkadian Empire, Babylonian Empire, Assyrian Empire, Persian Empires, Roman Empire, Macedonian Empire, Byzantine Empire, Abbasid Caliphate, Aztec Empire, Inca Empire, Mongol Empire, Mughal Empire, Chinese Empire, Russian Empire, British Empire were once the dominating powers in the world. However, with the change of time, they disappeared and have remained as the subject of history. The architecture of international powers keeps changing, and so do its players. Actors in international politics change with the change of time and other dynamics. However, the nature of the game continues to remain. The one-time allies turn arch foes, while once rivals become bosom friends. This is the nature and course of international power politics, and it will remain so. ...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:---- The world is in a poly crisis. Wars, ethnic conflicts, geopolitical tensions, economic downturn, trade wars, disruption in the supply system, cybercrimes and climate change are posing a threat to humanity. These crises have become increasingly acute over the years. However, rulers, politicians and power brokers have either miserably failed to assess the situation or simply lack the intent to address the problems for their narrow national and political interests rather than the larger cause of humanity. Instead, they are trying to exploit the crisis for political and partisan benefits. Global geopolitics keeps changing. Big powers are always the key players in global and regional geopolitics. Powers rise and fall that change the nature, course and hotspots of geopolitics. As European countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany were the key powers in the 19th century, Europe was the centre of international power. European countries colonised almost the...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:- Foreign policy is a country’s fundamental principle and foundation for conducting relations in the international arena. Countries adopt well-defined foreign policies to serve their national interests abroad, based on which diplomacy and diplomats operate. As diplomacy is a form of political interaction in the international arena, it requires special skills, acumen, and expertise. In the modern globalised, interconnected and interdependent world, countries are required to have multiple engagements and relations with states, sub-states, and super-states as well as super-national entities like international and regional organisations. Sometimes diplomats are, thus, assigned to build relations with and engage even non-state actors. Unlike in the past, the functions of diplomats are multi-dimensional and they are required to possess skills and knowledge to deal with diverse matters ranging from political, strategic, security, economic, trade, to climate change and t...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- Domestic politics and foreign policy are interlinked. Domestic politics is concerned with relations among different political actors and stakeholders within a country, while diplomacy is politics among countries on an international scale. Politics deals with the internal governance of a country and diplomacy is concerned with international governance. Every country thus adopts a broad policy and accordingly uses tools and tactics to protect and promote the interests of the country in the international arena. Foreign policy is, therefore, called an extension of domestic policy. But this might not always be the case. Sometimes, it may be just the opposite. There are cases and examples when external dynamics have changed the domestic political course in some countries. The world is more interdependent and more interconnected than ever before, owing mainly to economic globalisation and advancement in the field of technology. No country in the world is fully self-rel...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:- Nepal is an ancient Himalayan country in South Asia with a long history of its continued existence as an independent state. Nepal lies on the southern slope of the mighty Himalayas, almost in a rectangular shape, bordering Tibet of China in the north and the great Gangetic plain of India in the south. The High Himalayan range forms the border with China in the north and no such geographical features mark the boundary with India in the south, while rivers (Mechi in the east and Mahakali in the west) form the borderline with India in the east and the west. Nepal is one of the oldest countries in the world and the oldest independent country in South Asia. When Nepal existed as a country, there were several kingdoms and principalities in the rest of South Asia. However, none of these principalities exists as a country at present. These South Asian kingdoms and principalities were taken over by external occupiers one after another, with Nepal being the only country to...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:--- Foreign policy is often defined as the extension of domestic policy. A state’s fundamental task is to maintain survival, defend its sovereignty and enlarge its national interests abroad. The state possesses various powers and applies them to protect its national interests. American political scientist Joseph Nye has defined a state’s powers as hard power, soft power and smart power. It is by use of these three kinds of powers, a country protects and expands its national interests. In international relations, power is the ability to achieve the desired outcome in the pursuit of ensuring and enlarging national interests. Going back to as early as 400 BC, Athenian historian Thucydides, who is called the father of the school of political realism in the West, has stated that power is the ability to wage and win war, in which ‘the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must’. In international power politics, according to Thucydides, war is inevitable ...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- Amidst a little mistrust, more scepticism and some uncertainties, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s official India visit has finally been worked out. If all goes well, Prime Minister Oli will visit India in the third week of September at the invitation of his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, although the exact dates and duration are still being finalised. The visit is expected to build a new foundation of trust and goodwill for accelerating the pace of cooperation and partnership between these two close South Asian neighbours. PM Oli is embarking on an India visit more than one year after he assumed premiership in mid-July 2024. Over the last year, he has undertaken several international trips to advance Nepal's diplomatic presence and economic interests abroad. He visited China, the US, Thailand, Spain and Turkmenistan. China was his official bilateral visit at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The US visit was to attend the 79th UN General Assem...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China. The two neighbours formalized ties in 1955, although their contact goes back to prehistoric times. Legend has it that the Kathmandu Valley was once a vast lake with no human settlement, until Manjushree, a monk from the upper Tibetan plateau, drained its waters to make way for human habitation. That settlement flourished and eventually expanded to become the nation of Nepal. Buddhism played a central role in bringing Nepal and China closer, with Buddhist monks and scholars serving as key bridges. Chinese pilgrims such as Fa-hsien, Seng Tsai, Chi Meng, and Huan Tsang visited Nepal at various points in history, documenting its people, art and Buddhist heritage. These travel accounts enhanced Nepal’s profile among the Chinese population. Nepali Buddhist scholar Buddha Bhadra also travelled to China and spread Buddhist teachings in Tibet and beyond. According to...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- The world seems to be at the tipping point of nuclear war. The war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East and the rivalry between some nuclear powers hint at the possibility of nuclear war. Two nuclear powers – Russia and Israel – are already at war. India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, fought a brief war some time ago, and war between these two South Asian nuclear powers can break out anytime due to the nature of their rivalry and animosity. China and India, too, fought a border war in 1962, and border skirmishes have occasionally erupted between these two nuclear powers, the latest being the Galwan and Doklam conflicts. Currently, there are nine nuclear powers—the United States, Russia, China, India, the United Kingdom, France, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. Iran is said to be in the process of developing nuclear weapons, for which it is said to be enriching uranium. Some other countries, too, might have been clandestinely trying to develop nuclear arms...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- Governments appoint ambassadors to different countries to represent the country, promote national interests, and strengthen relations and cooperation. This has been in practice right from the time when the concept of the state started and continued to evolve with time. In ancient times, there used to be a practice of sending an envoy to other countries for specific tasks that included conveying messages, negotiation, exchanging gifts, and also for matrimonial purposes. The envoy would return after completing the specific tasks. But the practice of having a residential ambassador abroad was not in vogue till the 15th century. In Treta Yuga or Ramayana period, which is believed to be approximately between 8th and 4th BCE, Lord Rama, the crown prince of Ayodhya kingdom, sent Hanuman as an envoy to the kingdom of Ravana (presently Sri Lanka) for peace talks. During the Mahabharat period, too, Lord Krishna went to the court of Dhritarastra or Kauravas as a peace env...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- The world seems to be on the cusp of World War III. A dangerous scenario is emerging in the world with some nuclear powers deeply engaged in war. Russia has been at war with Ukraine for the last three years, while India and Pakistan were locked in a brief war following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22. A fragile ceasefire is underway between Iran and Israel and the conflict may break out anytime between these two arch foes of the Middle East. Some countries in Africa are also locked in inter-state and intra-state armed conflict. However, the conflicts in the Middle East, Europe and South Asia will have wider repercussions. Suppose the conflict starts again between Israel and Iran in the Middle East or India and Pakistan in South Asia. In that case, its ramifications will be global, with the possibility of ultimately escalating into World War III. Unlike conventional wars, modern wars are more dangerous. The conventional wars are mostly close combats in...

Yuba Nath Lamsal: -- It’s been almost a year since KP Sharma Oli assumed the responsibility of premiership last time. He was appointed Prime Minister on July 15, 2024, which is his third tenure as Prime Minister. He earlier served as prime minister from October 2015 to July 2016 and from February 2018 to August 2021. He twice led the government with the support of the CPN-Maoist Centre and he had to quit the government due to a problem and misunderstanding with the CPN-Maoist Centre. Now he is at the helm of power in partnership with the Nepali Congress (NC). The formation and collapse of the government in Nepal is determined by the number of seats in the lower house of parliament. This is the practice in parliamentary democracies all over the world. However, the case of Nepal is a little different and unique. Following the adoption of a federal system, the country has adopted a hybrid type of electoral system, which is a mix of majoritarian or first-past-the-post and a proportio...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- It was Friday, May 30, 2025. A shocking news pierced into my ear—Vijaya Chalise breathed the last today. I could not believe the news, as I had met him only a few days before. We talked at length and discussed many subjects, including journalism, literature and society, life, and the world. We reminisced about our old days when we worked together. Vijaya was still energetic, and his body and energy did not indicate any sign that he would leave us so early. After all, truth is truth, whether one believes or not. Vijaya passed away at 73, leaving this mortal world for his permanent abode. I have many fond memories of the old days when we worked together under the roof of Gorkhapatra Corporation. My first acquaintance with him was in 1989 when I joined The Rising Nepal Daily, an English-language publication of the Gorkhapatra Daily. Vijaya had already established himself as a seasoned journalist and an accomplished literary writer. He joined the Gokhapatra as a jou...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- Certain events prove to be watershed in history. So is Nepal’s foreign policy. King Prithivi Narayan Shah laid the foundation of modern and unified Nepal and also charted out basic guidelines for Nepal’s foreign policy. His successors, too, gave continuity to territorial expansion and consolidated the unification process until war broke out between the British colonial power and Nepal in 1814. The Sugauli Treaty was signed between Nepal and imperial Britain in 1816, which not only halted the war but also brought Nepal’s territorial expansion to an end. The Sugauli Treaty was not Nepal’s choice but Nepal was forced to accept it. The Sugauli Treaty changed the course of Nepal’s overall strategy and also marked another turning point in Nepal’s foreign policy. The Sugauli Treaty conditioned Nepal’s foreign policy, to some extent. However, Nepal, in practice, sought to exercise independent policy in relations with other external forces. The Kot Parba of 1846, throug...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:- British political scientist Sir Vernon Bernard Bogdanor says, "Monarchy is, in its purest form, a state ruled by a single, absolute hereditary ruler." In contrast, the republic is the supremacy of the people. In a monarchy, the monarch claims to be the supreme authority, the source of the country's sovereignty, and above the law. The hereditary system creates division and inequality in society and the nation. However, the republican system is a form of government in which people are sovereign, and elected representatives possess power and rule the country. In a republican form of government, nobody is above the law, and all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law. This is the fundamental difference between a monarchy and a republic form of government. Democracy is people's rule, and it is only in the republican system that people are sovereign and politically equal. A monarchy is a hereditary system that does not accept people's sovereignty....

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- A country's foreign policy is shaped and guided by multiple internal and external dynamics. The national interest is the prime factor that influences and determines foreign policy goals and priorities. The national interests, too, are determined by certain factors including geography, economy, demography, cultures, and behaviour of neighbours, values and overall geopolitical dynamics. But geography is the key determinant in shaping national interest and foreign policy priorities. Geography is permanent while other dynamics are changeable depending upon time, context and circumstances. According to Tim Marshall, all countries are prisoners of geography. Marshall, in his famous book, ‘Power of Geography’, says, ‘geography is a key factor shaping what humanity can and cannot do’. Countries are like individuals and the relationship between countries is also like human relations, which are determined by multiple factors. It is said that the border is the starti...