The recently held General Convention by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal has raised hopes for a possible consensus between Nepal’s major political parties over identifying a candidate for an ‘election government’. However, there are legal and situational hurdles that still need to be overcome.
In the past, water treaties between India and Nepal have stressed on the ‘equitable bases’ of the utilization of trans-boundary water sources; they are also devoid of the operational definition of the term ‘equitable’ – generating roadblocks for several projects. What should be done to avoid such quandaries?
Domestic politics are impacting overall SAARC relations. As the largest SAARC economy, we must strive to minimise differences with our neighbours by understanding how they perceive our policies, and uphold the promise of this regional bloc.
In the past few years, the SAARC region has seen promising engagements in mutual cooperation between nations. For these developments to hold, new ideas must be put on the table for discussion. ‘Neighbourhood Views of India’ is our effort towards contributing to that process.
Amit Baruah is the South Asia Studies Fellow at Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. He is an award winning journalist who has lived and reported from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Singapore. He is the author of Dateline Read more
The promise of an egalitarian democratic system in India and abroad, has been tarnished by the entrenchment of dynastic leadership and by an inordinate concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a few. It is imperative to find ways to confront the shortcomings that have crept into our cherished democracies.
Dynastic politics is as diverse as politics itself in South Asia. There may be some benefits to dynastic rule, but a political system founded on democratic principles rejects the very idea of dynasty.
S.M. Krishna talks about India’s external environment and its current foreign policy challenges at the Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore.
Shivshankar Menon, the National Security Advisor of India, made a speech at the Third Asian Relations Conference “Transforming South Asia: Imperatives for Action” that was held on March 9th and 10th, 2012. This Conference was a joint effort of Indian Council of World Affairs and Association of Asia Scholars.
Revitalizing its traditional role as a go-between for India and China could be highly beneficial for Nepal. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao recently paid a visit to Kathmandu, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is planning to do the same soon.
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