News, Views From Nepal

कौटिल्य अथवा चाणक्यलाई आधुनिक कूटनीतिक राज्य सञ्चालन कलाका जनकका रूपमा मानिन्छ । कौटिल्य सूक्ष्म, दूरदर्शी र चतुर राजनीतिक चिन्तक थिए, जसले शासक तथा कूटनीतिज्ञहरूका लागि प्रस्तुत गरेका सिद्धान्त आज पनि विदेश नीति र शासनकलाको आधारस्तम्भका रूपमा प्रयोग भइरहेका छन् । विशेषतः भारतले आफ्नो कूटनीतिक व्यवहारमा कौटिल्यका अनेकौँ रणनीतिलाई अवलम्बन गरेको मानिन्छ । कौटिल्यको सिद्धान्त आधुनिक कूटनीतिक अभ्यासमा यथार्थवादी दृष्टिकोणको प्रारम्भिक अभिव्यक्ति मानिन्छ । यो दृष्टिकोण आदर्शवादी धारणाको ठ्याक्कै विपरीत छ र विद्यमान शक्ति सन्तुलन, क्षमतागत वास्तविकता तथा रणनीतिक परिवेशलाई कूटनीतिक क्रियाकलापको मुख्य आधार मान्छ । कौटिल्यले कूटनीति र शासनकलाका तीन मूल स्तम्भ धन, सेना र जन बललाई मान्छन् । यी तीन स्तम्भमध्ये धनलाई सबैभन्दा शक्तिशाली ठान्छन् । उनले भनेका छन्, ‘ढुकुटीको बलबाटै सेना र सैन्य शक्तिको उत्पन्न र विकास हुन्छ ।’ कौटिल्यको दृष्टिकोणलाई यथार्थवादी मात्र होइन, केही हदसम्म ‘प्रभुत्ववादी र आक्रामक’ शासकीय र विदेश नीतिको मोडेलको रूपमा पनि व्याख्या गरिन्छ । जसलाई आजका केही पश्चिमी शक्ति र तिन...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Journalism had never been on my wish list until the later years of college life. But circumstances led me to be a journalist with The Rising Nepal in the decade of 1980s. Right from the beginning, I held the belief that reading alone does not make a person knowledgeable. Reading makes a person informed on certain matters and issues. Information and knowledge are two different things. Information is not knowledge. Knowledge comes with a deep and accurate understanding of issues. It is often said that reading makes a person better informed, writing more precise, while discussion and interaction make one better. A combination of all three alone equips a person with knowledge, wisdom and leads towards perfection, although perfection is something one can never achieve. Thus, reading, writing and discussion should go hand in hand for everyone to be better, accurate and perfect. Yearning for writing In the beginning, writing was not my cup of tea. Reading was my hobb...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:--- (https://risingnepaldaily.com/news/72393) The world is faced with multiple crises ranging from poverty, economic downturn, global income inequality and armed conflicts to climate change catastrophes. As armed conflicts escalate in different parts of the world, the spectre of nuclear war seems to be looming large. This is not a mere intellectual assumption but is based on the behaviour and rhetoric of leaders of some nuclear-powered countries. Some nuclear-powered countries are already at war. Russia is at war with Ukraine, while Israel is in armed conflict with Palestinians, which has ravaged Gaza and its adjacent areas, killing tens of thousands of civilians. The chances of escalating war in the entire Middle East are high. Israel has already attacked several sites in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria, suspecting hideouts of anti-Israeli militant outfits and also the nuclear sites of Iran. Tehran has designated Israel as the enemy and threatened to eliminate Israel from...

Yuba Nath Lamsal:-- Behaviours of states and their foreign policy decision-makers shape international politics and relations among states. In the sphere of international relations, there are always two key actors: nation-states and foreign policy decision-makers. Powers always compete and contest for natural resources and influence. In the quest to exploit and control natural resources scattered worldwide, powers devise strategies, tactics, and tools, which are integral to geopolitics or international politics. Geography sets the behaviour of states. The behaviours of foreign policy decision-makers matter and determine the course of foreign policy of any country. But the decision-makers’ astute handling can avert the threat that may arise from geopolitical push and pulls. Although new technologies and their effective use, to some extent, have helped to overcome some of the obstacles and challenges posed by geography but human beings have not yet been able to completely conquer th...

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...