International Affairs Forum

Wed. April 30, 2025

Around the World, Across the Political Spectrum

Roundtable Forum - NEPAL'S FUTURE FOREIGN POLICY

IA-Forum hears from five commentators who were asked the question: "How will the Maoist general election victory in Nepal impact upon the country's foreign policy and its relationship with other countries in the region?"

Comments (4) |

Anonymous

Fri, May 30, 2008 01:09 PM (about 16 years ago)
I Agree with Tuladhar, however one could not overtopped the following points:

Anonymous

Fri, May 30, 2008 01:06 PM (about 16 years ago)
I Agree, however one could not overtopped the following points:

Anonymous

Wed, May 28, 2008 03:52 AM (about 16 years ago)
I agree with Sanjoy Hazarika's analysis. It will be wise for maoists to maintain good relations with India. Geographically and economically it doesn't make sense for nepal to challange india.

Anonymous

Sun, May 25, 2008 09:41 AM (about 16 years ago)
I don't agree with Sanjoy Hazarika. Already there are signs that the Nepalese want to abrogate not only the 1950 treaty but also the Sugauli Treaty signed in 1816 with Britain. This they believe is a treaty signed under durress after losing a war with Colonial Britain. If that happens Nepal wants its lost territory of Darjelling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, South Bhutan back. Would India desire this kind of a situation? I think, Delhi has burnt its fingers in Nepal by being hyper-active and because of a senseless policy spearheaded by the CPI(M). This is sure to backfire.

John Garver, Georgia Institute of Technology

Response: The growing political influence of Nepal’s Maoist movement will offer important opportunities for expansion of Chinese influence in the Himalayan region. While China’s leadership has long since abandoned the tenants of Chairman Mao’s class struggle, they still recognize that revolutionary movements grow out of deep roots within societies, and that societies will sometime give rise to revolutionar... more

Sanjoy Hazarika, author and filmmaker

Response: The Maoist victory in Nepal is unlikely to substantially alter relations with India or the PRC on the ground. Let me reflect on India, than China here. The Nepal-India boundary which surrounds Nepal on three sides is 1850 km long, or 465 kilometers longer than the Nepal-China boundary. Each side needs the other -- Nepal is landlocked and wholly dependent on imports through India; it is much more d... more

Ali Riaz, Illinois State University

Response: The Maoist victory in the general election has dramatically changed the domestic political landscape of Nepal, and consequently will bring changes in the country’s foreign policy. Geographically sandwiched between two Asian giants, China and India, the country had always maintained equidistance between these two influential neighbors, albeit closer to India. But the political establishment (i.e. t... more

Nishchal N. Pandey, Kathmandu-based scholar

Response: The successful holding of the Constituent Assembly elections in Nepal on April 10th fulfilled a 57 year-old promise of the people being allowed to draft their own Constitution. The magnificent victory of the CPN (Maoists) came as a surprise to many national and international observers however, within the past one decade the Maoists had carefully been nurturing their rural support base in a country... more

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