Peace Politics of Nepal : An Opinion From Within

In 34 chapters divided by many subheadings, this book provides easy reference to the cultural, historical, political, geopolitical, economic and moral issues that have swirled around the five-year-old peace process of Nepal which started in 2006. Here is one commentator’s unabashed views on the issues and events, encompassing a social democratic perspective. The arguments of journalist and civil rights activist Kanak Mani Dixit which will make you want to pick up this volume include:

The Maoist reason for starting the people’s war in 1996 was flawed. Ten years of conflict and five years of chaos, have made the poor poorer. The parliamentary parties are not guilty of the grave sins they are accused of. The republic is a good idea, a ‘people’s republic’ is not. The revival of the monarchy in any form would endanger democracy. Knee-jerk anti-Indianism jeopardises Nepal and Nepalis. Ethnic federalism is too potentially dangerous to experiment with. Nepal’s federal provinces must be defined by economic geography. Class analysis must be brought back to the centre of the Kathmandu discourse. Social justice and inclusion require the guarantee of fundamental freedoms. There is an attempt to kill off local government because of its success. Cantonment disbandment is a precondition for the writing of the new constitution. The perpetrators of atrocities during the decade of conflict must be prosecuted for the sake of a peaceful future. The Maoist strategy is to construct a top-down, centralised state. Nepal’s liberal democracy must be nurtured, and protected from critics who do not offer alternatives. Open society is the key to Nepal’s growth and advancement. All of the people cannot be fooled all of the time.