12-17-2017, 11:25 PM
*** 18-Dec-17 World View -- Communists score major election wins in Nepal, possibly moving country towards China
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Communists score major election wins in Nepal, possibly moving country towards China
****
![[Image: g171217b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g171217b.jpg)
Zhangmu in Tibet, in China, just across from the Nepal border (Bob Witlox/Flickr)
The country Nepal is a strip of land, about 500 miles long and 100
miles wide, that separates a part of the border between India from
China's Tibet. With China and India on the verge of a border war,
Nepal becomes extremely important strategically to both India and
China.
Nepal recently held elections under a new constitution adopted in
2015. These elections will elect 275 members to the House of
Representatives and 550 representatives to the assemblies of the seven
newly-created provinces.
The elections have been won overwhelmingly by a "Left Alliance" of two
hyphenated communist parties -- the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified
Marxist-Leninist (UML) and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center
(MC). These two parties have been locked in adversarial conflict and
rivalry for years, but they've put aside their differences in a
marriage of convenience to form a governing coalition. The Left
Alliance will control not only the national government, but also six
of the seven provinces.
Analysts say that the emergence of the Left Alliance does not
necessarily mean that Nepal's voters prefer communism to democracy.
Instead, the vote express a new nationalism which has three key
components – the search for political stability and peace, the demand
for fast and comprehensive development and assertion against India.
For centuries, Nepal was governed by a Hindu monarchy with close ties
to India. In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra got drunk at a party and
gunned down the entire royal family, and then killed himself.
Dipendra's motive turned out to be that he had wanted to marry his
girlfriend, Devyani Rana, but his parents had refused. This triggered
a renewal of a Maoist insurgency that had begun in the 1990s.
This is Nepal's first free election in a secular republic, replacing
the monarchy with an elected government. My República (Nepal) and
The Wire (India) and Al Jazeera
****
**** Nepal reacts to India's bungled meddling over the new constitution
****
Nepal has long been one of the world's poorest countries, and 2015 was
a year with one major disaster after another.
Two massive earthquakes struck Nepal on April 25 and May 12, 2015.
More than 8,800 people were killed, and 600,000 homes were flattened.
Millions of people were left with inadequate food, clean water and
shelter. Nepal still has not recovered from that disaster.
The earthquake came at a time when the government was in a state of
almost total paralysis, because the constitutional transition Hindu
monarchy to a secular republic was in process, triggering massive
demonstrations, especially by the Madhesis, a mostly Hindu ethnic
group in Nepal's Tarai region on the border with India.
The new constitution was adopted on September 17. On September 24,
the Madhesis began massive demonstrations, blockading the truck
traffic passing between India and Nepal. This was a disaster for
Nepal's economy, which depends on imports from India for many goods,
including petroleum and cooking gas, forcing many manufacturers to
shut down.
Nepal blamed India for the border blockade, saying that India's prime
minister Narendra Modi was using the blockade to force Nepal to
eliminate clauses in the new constitution that the Madhesis claim
discriminate against them. Some people say that the recent victory of
the Left Alliance was a reaction to India's bungling two years ago in
handling the blockade.
Nepal media are debating whether the election results mean that Nepal
is moving away from India towards China. China has been trying to
improve its influence in Nepal since the removal of the Hindu
monarchy, and so the victory of the Left Alliance represents a kind of
victory. It also allows politicians, even those who favor India, to
say that the Left victory is a victory for nationalism and
independence from the "Indian bully." However, the Madhesis and
other Hindu ethnic groups form 40% of the population, and they
would oppose choosing China over India.
Also, Nepal can't go too far in alienating India, because of the
economic dependences. Nepal is a landlocked country, and the only way
to transfer goods to or from the Indian Ocean is through India and the
port of Vishakhapatnam on the Bay of Bengal.
Realizing the alarm that many people feel over their victory, the Left
Alliance has released a statement:
<QUOTE>"As per the directions made by the constitution of the
Nepal, we will develop the relation with friendly nations
especially the neighboring countries and the international unions
and organizations on the basis of independent foreign
policy."<END QUOTE>
The statement added, "We, the left power, are committed to form a
stable government and fulfill the promises which we made before."
My República (Nepal) and ANI (India)
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Nepal, India, China, Left Alliance,
Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist, UML,
Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center MC,
Crown Prince Dipendra, Devyani Rana,
Madhesis, Narendra Modi, Vishakhapatnam port
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Communists score major election wins in Nepal, possibly moving country towards China
- Nepal reacts to India's bungled meddling over the new constitution
****
**** Communists score major election wins in Nepal, possibly moving country towards China
****
Zhangmu in Tibet, in China, just across from the Nepal border (Bob Witlox/Flickr)
The country Nepal is a strip of land, about 500 miles long and 100
miles wide, that separates a part of the border between India from
China's Tibet. With China and India on the verge of a border war,
Nepal becomes extremely important strategically to both India and
China.
Nepal recently held elections under a new constitution adopted in
2015. These elections will elect 275 members to the House of
Representatives and 550 representatives to the assemblies of the seven
newly-created provinces.
The elections have been won overwhelmingly by a "Left Alliance" of two
hyphenated communist parties -- the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified
Marxist-Leninist (UML) and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center
(MC). These two parties have been locked in adversarial conflict and
rivalry for years, but they've put aside their differences in a
marriage of convenience to form a governing coalition. The Left
Alliance will control not only the national government, but also six
of the seven provinces.
Analysts say that the emergence of the Left Alliance does not
necessarily mean that Nepal's voters prefer communism to democracy.
Instead, the vote express a new nationalism which has three key
components – the search for political stability and peace, the demand
for fast and comprehensive development and assertion against India.
For centuries, Nepal was governed by a Hindu monarchy with close ties
to India. In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra got drunk at a party and
gunned down the entire royal family, and then killed himself.
Dipendra's motive turned out to be that he had wanted to marry his
girlfriend, Devyani Rana, but his parents had refused. This triggered
a renewal of a Maoist insurgency that had begun in the 1990s.
This is Nepal's first free election in a secular republic, replacing
the monarchy with an elected government. My República (Nepal) and
The Wire (India) and Al Jazeera
****
**** Nepal reacts to India's bungled meddling over the new constitution
****
Nepal has long been one of the world's poorest countries, and 2015 was
a year with one major disaster after another.
Two massive earthquakes struck Nepal on April 25 and May 12, 2015.
More than 8,800 people were killed, and 600,000 homes were flattened.
Millions of people were left with inadequate food, clean water and
shelter. Nepal still has not recovered from that disaster.
The earthquake came at a time when the government was in a state of
almost total paralysis, because the constitutional transition Hindu
monarchy to a secular republic was in process, triggering massive
demonstrations, especially by the Madhesis, a mostly Hindu ethnic
group in Nepal's Tarai region on the border with India.
The new constitution was adopted on September 17. On September 24,
the Madhesis began massive demonstrations, blockading the truck
traffic passing between India and Nepal. This was a disaster for
Nepal's economy, which depends on imports from India for many goods,
including petroleum and cooking gas, forcing many manufacturers to
shut down.
Nepal blamed India for the border blockade, saying that India's prime
minister Narendra Modi was using the blockade to force Nepal to
eliminate clauses in the new constitution that the Madhesis claim
discriminate against them. Some people say that the recent victory of
the Left Alliance was a reaction to India's bungling two years ago in
handling the blockade.
Nepal media are debating whether the election results mean that Nepal
is moving away from India towards China. China has been trying to
improve its influence in Nepal since the removal of the Hindu
monarchy, and so the victory of the Left Alliance represents a kind of
victory. It also allows politicians, even those who favor India, to
say that the Left victory is a victory for nationalism and
independence from the "Indian bully." However, the Madhesis and
other Hindu ethnic groups form 40% of the population, and they
would oppose choosing China over India.
Also, Nepal can't go too far in alienating India, because of the
economic dependences. Nepal is a landlocked country, and the only way
to transfer goods to or from the Indian Ocean is through India and the
port of Vishakhapatnam on the Bay of Bengal.
Realizing the alarm that many people feel over their victory, the Left
Alliance has released a statement:
<QUOTE>"As per the directions made by the constitution of the
Nepal, we will develop the relation with friendly nations
especially the neighboring countries and the international unions
and organizations on the basis of independent foreign
policy."<END QUOTE>
The statement added, "We, the left power, are committed to form a
stable government and fulfill the promises which we made before."
My República (Nepal) and ANI (India)
Related Articles
- Nepal's fuel deal with China collapses, as India border blockade worsens (30-Nov-2015)
- Nepal turns to China as border tensions with India increase (08-Nov-2015)
- Violence continues for fourth day in Haiti (11-Dec-2010)
- Maoist rebels bringing chaos to Nepal and region (09-Apr-2006)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Nepal, India, China, Left Alliance,
Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist, UML,
Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center MC,
Crown Prince Dipendra, Devyani Rana,
Madhesis, Narendra Modi, Vishakhapatnam port
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
