Poor and Land-locked...

Or Resource-rich and Land-linked?

It seems as if the focus of creating a better future for Nepal in terms of economic development and peace is blurred by misunderstanding of cooperation and connection between nation states.  From this article in the Hindustan Times, the leader of the recently created Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN(M)), Mohan Baidya, is unable to face the reality that his country is inextricably linked to the Indian (and Chinese) economies.  It may be in the nation's best interest to play the political game rather than shut the door in India's face - For example, the entire country relies every single day upon cooking gas and other resources brought directly from India and carried up into the hills.

Nepal need not forcibly assert its independence from bordering nations, but realize the reality of interconnectedness. 

But, that's not what's happening, unfortunately. 

Tibetan Freedom, Nepali Foreign Policy, and Wikileaks

"When caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said in October that he wouldn't let foreign powers interfere in internal matters, Nepal's Telegraph newspaper called it the 'best joke of the month.'" - LA Times


LA Times article addresses the new Nepali Prime Minister's foreign policy approach with India and China in light of the Wikileaks documents released in December 2010.  The audio files have evidence that Nepali border police are sending Tibetans back to China, paid off by the Chinese government.  The claims that these audio records are true have been denied by both sides. 


Prithvi Narayan Shah, Nepal's Gorkha unifier (conquerer?) coined the phrase, "Yam between two boulders."  This phrase continues to be tossed around today to describe the delicate relationship between these three countries.  The Tibet issue is a bargaining chip China can freely use when negotiating with Nepal government - especially the factions that value strong ties with China.  

Optimism for Kashmir?

Interesting photos of Kashmiri Pandits return to Kashmir.  Controversy is that, because they are Hindu, Pakistan sees them as a threat. 

An opinion article in the Times of India reports results from a recent survey about the Line of Control.  The article states that conflict was ready to be smoothed out before 11/26.  Since, the terrain for resolution, or at least compromise, has been rocky.

Nepali Passport Issues

Every year, many Nepalis risk their lives to find work outside of Nepal in countries around the world.  Nepal shares an agreement with India for hiring Nepali workers to shoulder the labor concerns of India's development - it is common to see Nepalis (newly arrived or living in India for a number of generations) building roads and cooking in restaurants, for example.  Nepalis can make good money doing the work that many Indians do not want to do themselves.

A popular out migration destination for Nepalis is the Gulf region where oil money and huge development in places like Dubai have created a job market for low-skilled labor such as drivers, house guards, housekeepers, and nannies.  Nepalis can get work in these regions easily, but job security, safety, and human rights issues surface as a result of the semi - legal nature of the employment.   The Nepali government has been trying to formalize some of these relationships with popular out-migration destinations, but given the dysfunctional nature of political situations in Nepal, not much has been accomplished.

One attempt has been ongoing in relation to official passports for Nepalis traveling out of Nepal for work.  Here's an article describing the current issues with these official passports and efforts to formalize these working relationships with other countries.   Seems that the Maoists have ideas about how they would like things to go and, as usual, are prepared to protest and march to get their side of the story heard.

At least this is a pertinent issue affecting the lives of many Nepalis currently rather than more sensationalist news regarding the ruling elite. 

Today I learned...

that Gandhi and Nehru could have agitated the British further during the beginning of WWII potentially executing their campaign for home-rule while attentions were distracted with fascist regimes in Europe.  Not the case - They decided, along with the Bengali intellectual contingent (Tagore, Coomaraswamy and Nandalal Bose) that the fight against fascist regeimes was more important at the time than independence. 

Others such as Subhas Chandra Bose did not agree.  He wanted to take advantage of the weakened British state to gain independence.  He spent time with Hitler looking to connect on the "aryan" thing - meaning the Aryans origninated in the Indus river valley civilization, thus Bose saw himself as an Aryan, yet, Hitler didn't know what to do with him - he had dark skin and didn't fit the bill.  Hitler sent him to Japan.  Japanese didn't know what to do with him, so they sent him in to Burma to fight the Brits.  That lasted for a bit and then he was killed (more info needed).  There are some that think he is still out there in a cave somewhere waiting until the time is right when he will emerge as a messianic figure to lead India on to global domination.

The dangers of developing a national identity - seems Gandhi and the Bengalis had their feet on the ground and were able to balance their inspiration from the Russian and European idealist identity writers (Hegel, Tolstoy...) with the understanding of human empathy and Truth.  Bose missed the boat on that one. 

One can draw an argument here from looking at the development of the nation-state theology in the late 18th c. and take Hitler's third reich as an example of how destructive (yet mesmerizing) developing national identity can be.  The other example are the Indian nationalists in the middle of the 20th c. 

hm.

China supporting Nepali Constitution Process?

China has offered to support Nepal in the tenuous constitution writing process.  Hm. 
Koirala (PM of Nepal) says the HLPM will produce the desired result in three month's time. 

Here's an article from Telegraph Nepal about China's patronizing involvement and Nepal's continued ability to suck-up to those who the government believe are powerful.

China Response to Border Bullying

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang says she has not read any reports of border encroachment around the Lines of Control in Ladakh.  In fact, she says, "China has always strictly honored its commitments."

Indian Defense Minister, AK Antony, also denies the recent claims that China is subversively grabbing land along the border. 

Both of these articles - from Times of India and Press Trust of India - are quite short and without many details.  The TOI article reports Antony saying, "There is only a difference in perception," about the border encroachment.  One wonders about pressure to post some information from an Indian source denying the recent claims...

What is the difference?  How should it be explained?  What are the different perceptions - that China IS harassing nomads along the high mountain plateau border, but India shouldn't perceive it like that?   His words certainly imply that something is going on. 

China and India are in their final rounds of talks to "safeguard peace and tranquility along the border."

Many Voices and Concerns on Kashmir Solution

Peace conference called by two separatist leaders of J & K at the Indian International Center seem to speak about the 'real' issues here.  Ethnic group rights in the process need to be heard - many people are greatly affected by the stalemate in the northern areas.  Neither is willing to give an inch to the other and the 'dialogue' process is at a standstill because credibility of this technique has been lost through eruptions of violence in the past 15 years. 

One of the leaders, Sajjad Lone, proposes trade as a means to build trust and build the economy of the region.  Through this, the region can be unburdened by "the monotony of sovereignty."  He released a document called "Achievable Nationhood," the first of its kind since violence in 1989, at the beginning of Jan 2010.  Is this just the type of leadership that the region is needing to emerge from protracted conflict?

The paper calls for tax-free movement of goods between a united J & K. "Lone's peace formula comes a month after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said Islamabad would abandon its claim to Kashmir if India agreed to give the territory autonomy under joint supervision by both countries," says Reuters. 

New Peaks open for Tourism in Ladakh

The Times of India published an article saying which restricted areas are now open to foreigners for mountaineering-type pursuits.  This is going to highly imact tourism in Ladakh.

I wonder if this is India's way to lay claim to previously restricted areas... if J & K state then makes tourism dollars off of peaks in the southeaster corridor of the Karakoram, Pakistan and China cannot very well claim any of that land is belonging to them, can they.  The closer India pushes toward the borders, the more tenuous the situation may get.

Don't know if this is such a good idea, India.
And Ladakh, it's time for you to dial up the sustainable eco-tourism business strategies.  Helena Norberg-Hodge, where are you when we need you!

UN Allocates $6M to food crisis in Nepal

Short UN posting about allocations to the World Food Program in Nepal here.

One does wonder about the effectiveness of its programs in Nepal and how the money will be allocated to address needs.

Sino - Indian Relations...

(Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premiere of the State Council Wen Jiabao)

Is China being aggressive with its international neighbors?  Maybe President Obama is not the only one being bullied.  This blog (from an Indian perspective, it seems) offers detailed commentary on diplomacy between these two giants.

Mr. D.S. Rajan (Director, Chennai Center for China Studies) writes a thoughtful analysis of recent blogs from inside China and what themes he sees coming out of the writing. Themes include a possible Sino-Indian conflict on a large scale, China's movement toward more military presence on its southern borders as of late, Chinese claims on Ladakh (but not Kashmir), capturing of Sikkim, and Nepal as a stepping stone for either country given the current political situation. 

This is an astute synthesis of information.

International Politics Major at Peking University -

i'm looking at a student's transcripts from an IP Major in China.
I don't know what year she is, maybe halfway through her studies? 

The course work is mostly Chinese history - Modern Chinese History, Chinese Historiography, History of Social Life in Ancient China, Local Government and Primary Society in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Ancient Chinese History (part 1 and 2), General History of the World (part 2), Special Subjects on Ancient Chinese History Before the Qin Dynasty, Special Subjects on the History of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Histories of Nationality in Ancient China, Selected Readings on "Zuozhuan".

International Politics, mainly studying Chinese history -  ?  Sounds like just Chinese history to me.

Is it ethical to post this?  One might say: if I have to ask....

PhD You Say???

What would these possible topics of study for a phd look like:

ecology and conflict

international diplomacy and systems thinking

political science and community building

an ecological approach to conflict transformation

I'm thinking that if I do, indeed want to pursue a phd somewhere I need to understand first what my motivation for doing so is.  Do I want to be AD of SIT Nepal?  Do I want to teach in the US? Do I want to work as a practitioner in some field of study here in the Himalayan region?  and of course, where can my skill set be of most benefit and relevance to others?

Most importantly - what would a phd give me that I don't have right now?  credibility?  The insistance that I am 'not just a kid' trying to fumble her way through the professional world.  Would some time spent studying and focusing on one topic really do that for me?  or am I approaching this issue from the wrong angle?

What kind of life experience do I need between now and potentially starting a phd in, say, Fall 2011 or Fall 2012?  More work with an NGO?  Management?  Field work?

Climate Change on Mt. Everest

Nepal Government meets near Everest Base Camp in order to bring attention to issues of climate change and its affect on the Himalayan Region.  AP article Here.

An effective form of political activism on the part of government officials prior to Copenhaggen?
OR
A waste of precious resources to fly the entire cabinet up to 18,000 ft for a meeting?

Obama's international diplomacy

So, how's it going for our "young, charismatic" leader?

This article from the Economist talks well about the embarassment that insued because Mr. President bowed to the Japanese Emperor.

Here, another Economist article talks through "Amateur Hour at the White House," with quotes from folks presiding over the Council for Foreign Relations.  Interesting to me that the Economist quotes CFR - I wonder if readers know who/what they are...

In general, regarding Mr. President, I'm still left with the question -

Penchant for conciliation is excellent - being viewed as passive isn't so excellent. Where's the balance?