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 Nepal seldom ceases to be in the news. For months, it has not been able to select a Prime Minister. However, it does not look likely that even by May next year the country will have a Constitution.
Situated in between China and India and with a proud history of having never been colonized, Nepal is going through spectacular political and social transformation. In 2008, the country was declared a ‘secular republic’ but even that is shaky. There are enormous challenges related to state restructuring and consolidating democracy but the archaic mind-set of political leaders has hindered the country’s march towards economic reconstruction and addressing the grievances of secluded groups of the society.
“New Nepal: The Fault Lines” published jointly by Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Singapore and SAGE publications, is written by a well known Nepali strategic analyst Mr. Nishchal N. Pandey. The book analyses the tumultuous situation post 2006 in an objective and impartial manner. The book is not only cogently written but pinpoints various “fault-lines” such as language, religion, caste and security sector reforms as essential problems to resolve before the nation can begin the difficult course of post-conflict reconstruction and peace building. He elaborates with dexterity and vision each complexity such as which political system to adopt, what to do with the 19, 000 people’s liberation army of the Maoists, crisis in the terai region, why does the country’s leaders lack political culture and economic woes facing the country? A magnum opus of an unique kind by an author known for his strategic outlook and regional focus, New Nepal: The Fault Lines is a must read for those wishing to gain insight in what has happened to Nepal in the last five years.
Title: New Nepal: The Fault Lines
Author: Nishchal Nath Pandey
Publisher: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd (May 19, 2010)
Pages: 184 pages, Hardcover
Price: U.S. $24.99
ISBN-10: 8132103165
ISBN-13: 978-8132103165
Most crucial element of contemporary Nepal’s struggle for stability is security sector governance and how to manage the arms and armies of the Maoists. The former rebel state they need to be integrated into the Nepal Army and other security services which has been stipulated in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in Nov. 2006 while other parties such as the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) maintain that this will not be acceptable. Pandey explores an alternate model in which a paramilitary structure such as a Rapid Action Battalion or a Border Security Force can be thought of.
The most important part of the book is the scrutiny on Nepal’s relations with India and China, with their bilateral problems and growing rivalry are turning Nepal into a field of contest while the major powers such as the U.S. and the UK are not very far behind. While Delhi with its infamous pattern of interfering in the domestics of a small neighbor routinely applies covert operations to install and dethrone regimes and governments, it is met with surprise when Beijing takes all the benefits out of newly established governments. Indo-Nepal relations as the author characterizes as ‘traffic lights’ is rarely out of controversy. However, for Nepal, the imperative to forge better relations with both the rising economic giants can be useful if it desires to serve as a viable transit economy in the coming years. Pandey’s sharp-edged and convincing arguments and complete analysis of post-2006 Nepal is certainly worth the price of the book. 
Sanchit Gautam is a researcher at the Centre for South Asian Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal. The Center was established in July 2004 as an autonomous research institute within the National University of Singapore (NUS), and is dedicated to the study of contemporary South Asia.
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