News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal Although China’s official name changed with every dynasty that came to rule this country, the common traditional name of China is ‘ Zhongguo’ , which means a central state. Later foreigners especially the Westerners started calling China a ‘middle kingdom’. The name central state has got nothing with the period or dynasty but it is so called because of its power and role in the neighborhood and the world. The ancient Chinese people believed that China was the center of the world and that China was situated in the middle of the earth.   It, thus, implies that China remained in the central stage of the world politics and power throughout history. China has always been a power to reckon with in the international arena except in a brief period when this country fell under foreign occupation and internal conflict. Now China has reemerged as an international power, which has been a matter of both joy and worry for the world. China’s growth and rise has been ta...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Myths do not always match with realities. Myths are created to mesmerize the general masses. Myth creation is more prevalent in religion and folk tales, in which a supernatural and a hidden power are created to either glorify someone and something or frighten and demonize someone. In recent days, politicians often create myth to adore themselves and vilify their rivals. This is more applicable in Nepal’s politics where our leaders portray them as the savior and their dissidents as devils. If we look at the politics of Nepal over the last couple of decades, it is the politicians who have ruined the country and the system. In the name of democracy, politicians often defame democracy as it is being taken by leaders and parties as a means to serve their petty and personal interests. Democracy is people’s polity where voters have their decisive say in decision-making and other state of affairs. This is the system where rules and laws prevail. Thus, democracy is d...

Yuba Nath Lamsal   Time flies faster than anything. It was like yesterday when we had welcomed the Year 2012 with much fanfare and enthusiasm. Now the Year 2012 has come to a close bidding farewell to all of us. A brand New Year 2013 has embraced us. We had welcomed the 2012 as a harbinger of hope, peace, prosperity and security in the world. However, this year marked mixed results in terms of people’s achievements, peace, security and just global order. Many interesting events unfolded with much larger, longer and far-reaching impact on the life of the global humanity. Some are good, some not so good and some are really disappointing. When we talk of the events of 2012, the Arab Spring is by far the most striking event that marks a positive sign in the history of mankind. The Arab Spring heralded a new wave of political consciousness in the Middle East and North Africa. Started from a northern African country of Tunisia, the fire of protest spread fast and steadily to t...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Some people tend to portray Nepal’s present scenario as the syndrome of a failed state. But we should not arrive at such a hasty conclusion. Before arriving at a conclusion of such a crucial question, we must analyze historical, cultural, social, political and economic dynamics of Nepal.   Given the geo-political and geo-strategic position with which Nepal has been able to survive and preserve its national and sovereign identity and status, it would be superficial to conclude that Nepal is on the verge of sliding into the status of a failed state. It is true that Nepal’s current political situation is very fluid and in the state of flux. Almost every country in the world has experienced such an environment at certain point of history. Even the big powers of today had undergone many ups and down and situation similar to what Nepal is facing at present. The United States of America, Britain, Russia, France, Germany, China and India, came out of the dire ...