News, Views From Nepal

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...