Nepal foreign policy and weak diplomacy

Yuba Nath Lamsal

The world is interlinked and interdependent. No single country in the world is fully self-reliant on everything.  However powerful and developed it may be, no country can survive and prosper in isolation. International links and relations are necessary not only for its own survival and security but also for overall progress and development.

This is how foreign policy was evolved. The policy that a country devises to deal with other countries or international institutions is called foreign policy. Every country has its own interests, strategy and goals and it accordingly devises foreign policy to serve its interests. Different countries have different strategy for survival and different interests with different countries. Thus, countries have their own foreign priority and perspective.

The art of pursuing the interest with other country is diplomacy through which foreign policy is conducted. Diplomacy is like an intrigued game of chessboard in which a country moves his pawn and knights in calculated manner taking into account long-term consequences. Foreign policy is the broad outline of how a country should interact and deal with other countries.

The traditional concept of foreign policy was defined and interpreted in a narrow national perspective. With the advancement of science and technology, the world has seen a sea of change in all spheres of life of any country in the world.  Traditional factors alone are not sufficient in formulating foreign policy and conduct of diplomacy in the present complicated and globalized world. Extra-territorial, regional and international dynamics play crucial role in the formulation and conduct of foreign policy. This involves psychological perception and outlook of a country to the other. This is determined by the existing geo-political realities, economic strength and potentials, trade links and volume, natural resources and, to some extent, cultural historical and political considerations.

In the present world, economic benefits and economic interests are definitely important. But they are not the sole factors and there other equally important considerations shape the foreign policy and international relations. Economic interests determine other traditional components. The security concepts have also changed in the present world. The traditional concept of security used to be superior in military security and strength.

There are number of factors that influence and determine foreign policy formulation and its conduct in a particular country. Geography, history, culture, trade, economic dynamics and value system are some of the key components that shape foreign policy of any country in the world. Foreign policy, in a way, is the quest of power in the international politics and a tool to bring back the dividend back home, no matter how detrimental it might be to other countries.

The definition of national interest is also vague and blurred in some cases. Bleeding other countries in the name of one’s own interest is the pursuit of foreign policy is what some powerful countries are doing. This tendency has come under scathing attack and criticism from the people and the critics in the world. This is more so with the big powers, which often try to impose their decisions and diktats on smaller and weaker countries. If this does not works or the weaker do not toe the line of the powerful, other coercive methods are applied so that the weaker ones would be brought to their fold and terms.

In the international power politics, big powers apply four Cs (convince, confuse, confront and conquer or control) as the method to maintain greater say, influence and control over other countries. They try to persuade or convince the other countries through various methods and approaches to ensure that the weaker countries follow their policies and path. If the efforts to convince fail, they try to confuse. A confused government or state cannot decide anything on its own, for which they need suggestion and advice from others especially the powerful ones. The dominant countries come to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries in the name of helping and advising. Should that method fail, they resort to both direct and indirect confrontation with the regimes that do not tow their line. This is how they control other countries. The case of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have already seen the application of this doctrine and become its victim. Iran and Syria are now feeling the heat in which external hands are more than visible.

There are some tools to apply and implement this doctrine. These tools are capital, technology and media.  The Western capitalist countries led by the United States of America have been successfully applying these tools and tactics and they have ruled the world. Capital comes to the developing countries in the form of direct investment or aid or financial transactions. Foreign assistance is the powerful tool as the donors always attack some string to it, which the recipient countries have to accept if they want aid. The financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund were created by the Western countries for this purpose. The other form of economic tool is foreign direct investment and trade. The western countries encourage their business persons to invest and get involved in trade or other financial transactions only in the countries where there are pro-West economic policies. The developing countries would, thus, be hard pressed to accept the conditions just to get aid and investment.

The other tool is the technology. The world has seen tremendous development in the field of science and technology. The Western capitalist countries have control over technology and the developing countries depend heavily upon the western countries for technology transfer and their use. Since the technology is in their control, the western countries control over the government of developing countries, or the developing countries are deprived of the benefit of technology.

Media has been the most effective tool for opinion building both at home and abroad. The effective and powerful media are at the hands of Western countries, which almost always follow the policies of their own government. In foreign policy and security issues, they never go against the policy of their government even if the policies are wrong.  The Western countries first use media to unleash propaganda in their own favor and against their adversaries, through which they justify their action. They not only use media not only to build international opinion, at the same time, they instigate ethnic conflict and other political and social unrest against the regime in the name of supporting democracy.

The concept of security is also changing. The traditional concept of attaining security and defending the country was solely military means. But military power alone is not sufficient to defend the country and maintain security. But the people are best defender of the country and ensure national security. However, people first feel their own security prior to national security. The country can be defended by people only when they psychologically feel secured. Psychologically unsecure and morally vulnerable people can never defend the country, however strong the military power may be. The former Soviet Union is its example because despite it having one of the strongest military force, the Soviet Union crumbled like a house cards because people lost faith on its government and leaders.

It is often said that foreign policy is the extension of domestic policy.  It is definitely true, to a large extent. The country defines its broad national interest, formulates strategy to defend its national interest and accordingly applies its tools and tactics to achieve the goals in the international arena. The national interest and goal do not change frequently and the strategy to achieve it also remains unchanged, despite change of regime at home. But tactics and tools may change depending upon the situation and context. Thus, foreign policy should not be rigid but dynamic. In such a situation, the interlocutors of foreign policy and diplomacy may have enough leeway to adopt different tactics and tools to cope with different situation.

 As far as Nepal is concerned, it has to learn lessons from our own past experiences marked by both successes and failure in foreign policy front and also the conduct of foreign policy and diplomacy by other countries. As a poor and weak country, it does not have adequate tools to act more decisively and forcefully in the international power politics because economic and military strength does not back Nepal’s diplomatic initiative. In such a situation, Nepal has to demonstrate highest level of diplomatic art and acumen in the international arena. There many international friends including some big powers which are always willing to support for Nepal’s cause in the international arena. Nepal needs to take advantage from this. But our diplomats seem to be unable to cultivate out friends and well-wishers and take maximum benefit. It exhibits either incompetence or sheer negligence on the part of our diplomats assigned in different missions abroad.