Our predicaments have a tendency of revealing our priorities, and an introspection on this issue leads us to confront uncomfortable realities. The entire world had braced itself when Donald Trump emerged victorious in the 2024 US presidential election, and with a popular mandate too. The US, however, had already begun growing wary of neoliberalism during...
It is perhaps difficult for a career diplomat trained to send confidential dispatches to write a book dealing with one’s professional discipline. The exercise becomes more complex regarding major diplomatic assignments involving close and multi-dimensional, yet complicated, strands of Nepal-India relations. An officer of the 1965 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, Krishna V. Rajan,...
Europe’s Day, a recurrence that is supposed to celebrate the ideals behind the European Union Project, is celebrated annually on the 9th of May. Yes, the integration of European nations is a political project founded on principles and values that have been shaped by the blood and destruction of two world wars. But the EU...
Whenever significant political developments unfold in Nepal, politicians are quick to draw connections to India. For instance, in 2021, when the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolved Nepal’s Parliament, his own colleagues accused him of acting under India’s influence. Senior leaders from major parties, including Pushpa Kamal Dahal, publicly urged India to “stand in...
Nepal has always fascinated me. Whether it is the grandeur of its durbar squares, mysteries of its temples, its natural endowments, its customs and traditions like worshipping of the living goddess, its valiant history or on the flip side, devastating earthquakes and floods, plane hijacking of 1999, palace massacre of 2001, and its topsy-turvy relationship...
When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, he declared the basic tenet of his foreign policy to be “Neighbourhood First”. Eleven years on, the policy has resulted in an arc of hostility stretching east, north, and west of India, drawn from Bangladesh to Nepal to Pakistan, with the keystone of the arch wedged at...
In the face of global trade uncertainties, Nepal must proactively adapt to geopolitical shifts while diversifying its economic partnerships. Strengthening regional ties, investing in domestic industries, leveraging supply chain shifts, and prioritizing digital transformation will be key to sustaining economic growth and reducing external dependencies. A well-calibrated trade strategy, backed by strong governance and infrastructure...
The Donald Trump administration has sent a clear signal that it intends to pursue an aggressive strategy to counter Chinese influence across the Indo-Pacific region. In a significant policy address on March 25, US Secretary of Defense Pete Herseth outlined the administration’s vision for the region, marking the first comprehensive articulation of its Indo-Pacific strategy...
From Pakistan to Nepal to Myanmar, a growing number of Chinese-financed projects in India’s neighbourhood are giving a strategic edge to Beijing.Opinion | How China Is Exploiting ‘Failed’ Projects In India’s NeighbourhoodimgGunjan SinghShareTwitterWhatsAppFacebookRedditEmailIt is a known fact that in the last few years, China has made major inroads in the South Asian region, especially through...
f the grouping’s scope and agenda are restructured to focus on soft security issues, such as maritime safety, New Delhi might be more interested.