News, Views From Nepal

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...