Time to rewrite the constitution
“It is time to move beyond the idea of political stability to the idea of constitutional stability.” Prime Minister KP Oli’s move to dissolve Parliament has unleashed a phase of political uncertainty which could devour more than the legislative body. Oli’s political endgame is not clear; it has brought into play internal political conflict, foreign…
Is Nepal Prepared to Take On the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19?
The Scare of COVID-19 The Nepal Embassy in Beijing has reported that as of February 2, 2020,[i] 180 Nepali students in the Hubei province of China including 62 from the Wuhan City have applied for immediate evacuation from the province that is currently reeling under the scare of coronavirus.[ii] The worldwide death toll continues to…
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Overambitious Campaign
With the share of foreign tourists standing at 49 percent, the target of two million is doomed. Visit Nepal Year 2020 targets two million international tourists. However, looking at the decreasing rate of incoming tourists in 2019, the campaign may be at a great disadvantage. The tourist growth was merely 2 percent last year. For…
Donor Complicity: A troubling Emergence in Nepali Politics
Donors and multilateral institutions must not continue to ignore corruption to fulfil their own objectives. Nepal currently has unprecedented opportunities for economic development along with establishing practices of good governance. These opportunities include a changing demography, the availability of cheap resources, political stability, federalism, geopolitical competition, and remittance. But this window of opportunities will last…
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Cyber Insecurity: Catastrophe in the Waiting
The vulnerabilities of Nepal’s banking system came to the fore on the night of August 31, 2019,[1] when five Chinese nationals were arrested in the capital, who were on ATM hacking spree in different places in Kathmandu. The hackers had come to Nepal on August 20 and had planned to return on September 2; their…
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News Digest – National Security & Climate Change (July 15 – 21)
According to reports, as of July 21, Nepal’s Covid-19 tally stands at 718,494 and the death tally has reached 9,582. There are 25,837 active cases of infection in the country while 633,332 people have made a recovery. The country recorded 2,445 new cases and 32 deaths on July 13. The overall per-day positivity rate is…
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News Digest – National Security & Environment (July 8 – 14)
According to reports, as of July 14, Nepal’s Covid-19 tally stands at 703,856 and the death tally has reached 9,412. There are 26,261 active cases of infection in the country while 623,105 people have made a recovery. The country recorded 2,398 new cases and 12 deaths on July 13. After two months in lockdown, business…
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News Digest – National Security & Climate Change (July 1-7, 2021)
According to reports, as of June 6, Nepal’s Covid-19 tally stands at 685,361 and the death tally has reached 9,263. There are 25,828 active cases of infection in the country while 612,994people have made a recovery. The country recorded 2,634 new cases and 15 deaths on June 6. Nepal has ranked 94th in the Global…
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News Digest – National Security & Environment (June 24 – 30, 2021)
According to reports, as of June 29, Nepal’s Covid-19 tally stands at 636,916 and the death tally has reached 9,071. There are 35,310 active cases of infection in the country while 592,535 people have made a recovery. The country recorded 2,636 new cases and 20 deaths on June 29. As of 30 June, the government…
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News Digest – National Security & Environment (June 17 – 23)
According to reports, as of June 16, Nepal’s Covid-19 tally stands at 654,470 and the death tally has reached 8,813. There are 52,648 active cases of infection in the country while 564,882 people have made a recovery. The country recorded 4,522 new cases and 41 deaths on June 22. The onset of Monsoon has led…
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June Analysis: National Security and Climate Change
Nepal Battles with Layers of Crisis Nepal has been struggling to mitigate the crisis created by the COVID-19 virus but in combination with the chaos unleashed by the onset of monsoon, it has posed a considerably higher multi-risk situation. As the country continues to reel under the virus, districts like Palpa, Manang, Pyuthan, Syangja, Lamjung, and…
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May Analysis: The Effects of Politicking in a Pandemic
As the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the country and daily death tolls climbed to well over a hundred, Prime Minister Oli and his adversaries continued to spend their time politicking rather than focusing on crisis response. Despite the Prime Minister’s claim that the pandemic is under control, the situation began to unravel…
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Monthly Analysis: March 2021
MONTHLY ANALYSIS March 2021 Table of contents: A. Domestic Politics: Mahesh KushwhaaB. Governance: Shaleen ShahC. Federalism: Phiroj ChaudharyD. International and Foreign Affairs: Ajaya Bhadra KhanalE: National Security and Climate Change: Shuvangi Poudyal. A. DOMESTIC POLITICS 1. Timeline of Important Political Events in March, 2021 1.1 The Communist Party(ies): Dates and events:March 3: Nepal Communist Party…
Mounting security challenges for Nepal amidst pandemic
Photo: RSS Nepal’s struggles with political instability is well documented and common knowledge. The Prime Minister’s move to dissolve the House of Representatives on December 20 threw the country into a whirlwind of uncertainty. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic fuelling more challenges for the country, the implications for security have continued to intensify. The limbo…
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COVID 19 and Vaccine Diplomacy
Image: RSS On January 15, Nepal received an approval for the emergency use of “Covishield”, developed by the University of Oxford and Pharmaceutical Company AstraZeneca, and manufactured in India. The news came amidst Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali’s high level visit to New Delhi. All eyes were on Gyawali as it was his first visit to…
Disputes on the Northern Border of Nepal—The Case of Humla
Photo: RSS Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF) held an event on February 9, 2021, focusing on ‘Disputes on the Northern Border of Nepal – The Case of Humla’ at Hotel Summit, Sanepa, Lalitpur. Jiwan Bahadur Shahi, Karnali Province’s opposition Nepali Congress leader and lawmaker, was the chief presenter at the event. Former Director…
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Covid-19 raises questions about the future of the Nepali state
Nepal will have to debate and talk about our ideas about the nation-state. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was discharged from the hospital Friday following a kidney transplant for the second time. Instead of resting as advised, he was eager to promote an optics of good health and political control. But he stumbled. While he…
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