News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal Geography is a crucial factor in determining the foreign policy of a country. However, geography is not the lone factor in shaping the foreign and strategic policy of any country. Other factors, too, have a key role to play although geographical compulsions are of a permanent nature. At times, other factors change the conditions dictated by geography. Geo-politics is the term that denotes the inter-relationship of geography with other factors that determines the relationship between states. The geo-political setting and conditions changed in the world after the end of the Cold War. The enemies of the yesteryears have become bosom friends whereas yesterday’s allies have turned arch rivals. This has been particularly visible in our own neighbourhood. India and the United States were at two different poles during the Cold War era, but they have now become strategic partners and are cooperating with one another on various fronts. Changing scenario Pakistan...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Former Secretary-general Kofi Anan in 2005 had proposed a comprehensive package for reforming the United Nations system, in which he called for action, not mere words, to fulfill the pledges made to the people. In a report to the UN General Assembly, Anan had said in a more forceful and frank manner that the United Nations needed to reform in a package but not like an ‘a la carte menu from which nations could choose only those aspects they fancy’. This was perhaps the strongest worded report ever voiced by any executive chief of the world body on reforming the United Nations. There have been demands for reforms in the United Nations for decades. From Algeria to Albania, Mongolia to Mozambique and China to Chile, all member states are of the opinion that the world body needed vigorous reforms in order to make the United Nations more representative, legitimate and efficient so that it can more effectively play its role in reso...

Yuba Nath Lamsal China's spectacular economic growth is world's miracle. This is a miracle because Beijing has achieved this feat in three decades what other countries could not do even in one century. In the period of three decade, China has been transformed from a poor agrarian economy into world's economic and industrial powerhouse, thanks largely to Deng Xiaoping's sweeping reform programmes. There are three key stages of China's development and modernization. The first phase was the Chinese Revolution in 1949 that laid a foundation of modern China. The revolution under the banner of Communist Party of China established the People's Republic of China. Standing in the podium in the Tiananmen Square in 1949, Mao Zedong had declared the victory of the Chinese Revolution and said, "China has stood up". True to Mao's words, China has stood firmly and confidently. The revolution liberated China from foreign invasion and domestic exploit...

Yuba Nath Lamsal It has been 62 years since the communist party was formed in Nepal. Some leftist groups marked September 15 as the 63rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). However, a large section of leftists do not subscribe to the proposition that September 15 is the founding day. Instead they claim that the communist party was founded on April 22, 1949. Divided issue Nepal’s communists lock horns over every issue, which has contributed to the fragmentation of the communist movement. They differ on and dispute even on a minor issue, keeping them divided and disintegrated. The issue concerning the founding day of the communist party has also fallen into controversy, with different groups observing the founding day on different dates. This controversy is not a new phenomenon but began soon after the communist party was formed. Even researchers are divided on this issue. Dr. Surendra KC and Dr. Raj Kumar Pokhrel are two prominent scholar...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has recently made some important remarks that will have a far-reaching impact on Nepal's foreign policy. In public speeches in two separate programs last week, Prime Minister Bhattarai sought China's entry into South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as a full-fledged member. In his first ever policy statement announced in parliament, Premier Bhattarai opined that China's entry into the SAARC was necessary to bolster meaningful cooperation in South Asia. He also expressed similar views in the conference of China-South Asia Friendship Organizations Forum. These remarks are the policy and commitment of the new government which was formed under Bhattarai's leadership three weeks ago. Bhattarai's remarks provide the impression that the new government would bring about some rupture not only in the domestic politics but also in the foreign policy priorities of the Himalayan Republic. His remark...