News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal Kautilya is said to be the guru of modern art of diplomacy. A shrewd and sharp politician, Kautilya has many tips for rulers and diplomats, which are still taken as the basis of foreign policy and statecraft. India is one that has followed Kautilya’s tricks and tips in the conduct of foreign policy and diplomacy. Kautilya’s doctrine is taken as a modern day’s realist approach of conducting diplomacy. His approach in the conduct of diplomacy is in stark contrast to the idealist approach. In the realm of realism, the existing factors and powers play a key role in the conduct of diplomacy and art of negotiation. According to Kautilya’s realist approach, money, military and muscle are the key factors in the world of diplomacy and statecraft. But m oney is more powerful than the military. Kautilya has said, “From the strength of the treasury the army is born.” More than realism, Kautilya’s approach is dubbed as the hawkish model that some of the Western powers ...

Yuba Nath Lamsal The largest political party of the country –UCPN-Maoist— is busy in the preparation of what it describes as the historic seventh National Unity Congress. The Maoist seventh national congress is being held in 21 years since the last or the sixth congress was held in 1992. The seventh congress kicks off on February 2, Friday with the theme of further developing the ‘revolutionary political line”, which is expected to come up with the new sets of ideas, policies, programmes and plans. Many have speculated that the seventh national congress of the UCPN-Maoist would mark a unique ideological shift that may declare its official and formal departure from the violent and armed revolution and reiterate its commitment in public for peaceful and competitive politics. But things would not develop in such a simplistic way and the Maoist party may not make a complete U-turn in terms of ideology in the national congress. What is certain that there would definitely be marke...