Wednesday, February 14, 2007

National

Professor, Dr. Ram Kumar Dahal, Dept. Pol. Science, TU

Nepal's geographic/ physical divisions and features have also played very significant role in shaping its FP. Nepal has roughly been divided four geographical and ecological regions namely 1) Himalayas, 2) Mountains/Hills, 3) Inner-terai (bhitri madesh). The Himalayan region covers nearly 15% (22077 km) of the country's territory where nearly 7% people live and is above 12000-29000 ft. height from the sea level. The ice always remains frozen above 16,000 ft. height; there is no human beings and cultivation. This region is very important because a number of Himalayas including world's highest peak, Mt. Everest (8848 m.) lies in this sector and which is very important for tourism view like mountaineering and trekking. Nepal can encourage sustainable development if it can mobilize and manage this sector and earn foreign currency. The mountain/hill region lies between the Himalayan region in the north and the Mahabharat range in the south in between 4000 and 12000 feet altitude and covers nearly 68% (100083 sq. km.) and gives shelter to nearly 44% of the country's population. About 10% lands of the region remain cultivated. Nearly mountains and hills cover 83% of the country’s total land, so the development has become a serious challenge. The inner terai (bhitri madesh) is almost engulfed between Churia and Mahabharat ranges and includes country's broad longitudinal valleys composed of alluvia and gravels. The terai region lies in the extreme southern plains which stretches from east to west; is above at 1000 ft. height from sea level; consists of 17% (25021 sq. km.) of country's territory and gives shelter to nearly 48% of the total population known as the storage of food grains in Nepal , nearly 40% of the land is under cultivation.

The geographic size of a country is one of the most important determinants of foreign policy. Nepal ’s size factor has also played crucial role in this direction.. Nepal is located in 26º22’ North to 30º27’ North and longitude 80º4’ East to 88º12’ East). The East West length is 885km and the mean (non uniform) width from North to South is 193km. with an area of 1, 47,181 Square Km. (Nepal Statistical Pocket Book, 2004; 1) and is relatively a small, land-locked, least developed and weak power compared to its immediate neighbours- India and China. Nearly 4000 sq. km. of its total area is covered by water and the rest is land. Having occupied a mere 0.03% part of the total earth, Nepal is a small country but is larger than Sri Lanka , Bhutan and the Maldives . Regarding the size, People’s Republic of China is sixty-eight times and India is twenty three times bigger than Nepal . In comparison to their large population, Nepal becomes a tiny or with a little power. With more than one billion people, People’s Republic of China is the largest populous country, which is followed by India with nearly one billion. The inequality n the distribution of power with its immediate neighbours has created a number of problems and challenges to the small countries like Nepal , for example, in the case of "survival for existence." The open border with India has made the access of Indian influence pervasive in all sectors of in foreign policy. This pervasiveness has often been expressed in terms of the need to establish close link, what is christened as "special relations" with India . British India had used Nepal as a buffer state, even isolated it from the rest of the world for more than a century thus affected Nepal ’s entire development process. The behavioural pattern of independent India too, reveals the British legacy as far as its ties with Nepal is concerned, thus, it is affecting Nepal ’s foreign policy practices and processes.

A country’s border linkages with neighbouring counties also serve as one of the geographical determinants for the foreign policy. As former Soviet Union had border linkages with 12 countries, mostly non-communist ones, it had to spend millions of Rubbles simply securing its border boundaries and frontiers. Situated near Canada and Mexico (almost having natural boundary), the US does not have to spend even a single dollar for securing its borders. India , bordering with People’s Republic of China and Pakistan , has to spend a huge amount of money to secure borders. The type of borders and frontiers (e.g. natural and artificially created pillars, stones, also counted much in geopolitics and in foreign policy) with the countries having natural boundaries do not have to spend much (as in case of US Nepal’s northern frontier, People’s Republic of China) in securing their boundaries whereas, the artificially created or man-made pillars, stones, have to do so (e.g. Nepal-India border). According to one figure, out of total 2926 km. border areas Nepal touches with China in 1236 km. in the north and nearly 1690 km. with India in remaining three sides. The High Himalayas in the north of Nepal for a long time in history, like those of Afghanistan and Switzerland, have served as high natural barriers to secure the country from various penetrations and thus “served as the defensive benefits of mountains” (Dahal, 1997: 28). The Kodari highways links Nepal with Tibetan Region of China and the strategic highway of Karokoram links Nepal with Pakistan via Chinese territory. This has made Nepal strategically important for China , Pakistan and India . This area, as Dahal (1997: 28) views, “is historically a meeting point of four old empires- British India , China , Russia and Persia was often played. Numerous roads were built to connect. Indian states have both economic and strategic significance. Nepal has natural frontiers with People’s Republic of China , thus, serves as a plus point, which Muni calls “the zone of protection.” “The absence of natural frontiers with India has weakened Nepal ’s defensive capacity and enhanced its economic, political and cultural permeability” and thus (Dahal, 1997: 27-28) making it a “constant source of weakness”

Topography is one of the important determinants of a country’s foreign policy. A favourable topographical environment and ecology can contribute much for the development of the nation, whereas the difficult mountain terrain contributes negatively for development activities. Nepal is largely a mountainous country because 68% of the total land is covered by mountain, which is significantly related to development and as a small country, Nepal cannot compete with its immediate neighbours in international community because of its developing nature. Moreover, it possesses less, which is one of the important aspects of power and FP and power potentialities and can influence little in the foreign policy of both the region and the globe. Nepal abstained from voting (in the Tibetan case) in the United Nations in 1959 and also pledged for China 's membership in the UN due to its geographic condition. Nepal also remained neutral in the 1962 Sino-Indian war and adopted a policy of friendship with both the neighbours. This policy is borne out of Nepal's geographical compulsions, primarily, topographically speaking, Nepal has three parallel mountain ranges- the Himalayas, the Mahabharata and the Siwaliks (Churia ranges) lying in east west axis (Karan and Jenkins, 1960).

The river systems or the existing water resources within a country serve as important geographical determinants of foreign policy. The water resources contribute much for development in a number of ways -providing raw materials, serving basic needs, promoting tourism based activities e.g. rafting, boating and making a state powerful in international politics.. The river systems in Nepal have a number of potentialities and if harnessed, can contribute to power potentialities needed for development and generate power in global politics.. Nepal has been bestowed with colossal gift of water resources. Commencing from the base of mountains or Himalayas in the north, thousands of rivers with hefty potentially, flow towards India (South). Hydroelectricity generation capacity of 83000 MW, than Nepalese water resources how can provide electricity to the total population of South Asian countries. These rivers, nearly 4000 in number, have added natural beauty of the country as well. Moreover, a number of beautiful lakes in different parts of the country have added attractions to the foreign tourists. These sources are the sources of drinking water and other uses for the rural population. So they are advantaged in a number of ways. The three major rivers, the Karnali, the Gandaki and the Koshi, vertically cutting through these mountain ranges, have made the interactions among people and development much more complicated job (Shrestha, 1976). Moreover, it has also affected its foreign policy practices, national integration and acculturation process in many respects. Similarly, it has also posed a lot of problems in the FP and development of infrastructures needed for generating political power in global politics and development e.g. in the field of transportation and communication between the capital city and other parts and among the various regions of the country. Due to this factor, Nepal is virtually dependent on India for east west transportation and communication. Nepal ’s over dependency on India for these reasons has also posed a number of problems and challenges including in the field of foreign policy and national development and even in controlling its various regions and parts. Like other Himalayan kingdoms, Nepal 's difficult mountain terrains and turbulent rivers have negatively affected it’s all round development Particularly, and interactions among the various geographical regions- the Bhot, the Pahad and the Madesh- are the prerequisites for development. These factors have also and have compelled Nepal to stand in the row of landlocked and least developed nations of the world and absence of a common culture and a general bond of ties and oneness that still leaves Nepal "a nation in the making". The existence of local and national identities indicates the operation of centripetal -coming to the centre and centrifugal -going/dispersing away from the centre forces pulling to different directions in development. Due to this complicated geographical position Nepal 's development activities have been negatively affected for centuries and remained one of the isolat3ed condition from the rest of the world. Nepal in different periods of history has developed different foreign policies and development practices and styles. Due to Nepal 's geographical complexities, the centrifugal forces were also active in different parts of the country in different period of history. The Eastern Kiratis under the Lichhavi rulers and the Mallas in the western hills were some of the active centrifugal political forces of Nepal who tried to pull among other things, development in their own directions. During the medieval period, Nepal was fragmented into small principalities popularly known as the Baises and Chaubesi States . Due to the problems posed by its geographical factors like high and complicated mountains and turbulent river systems flowing from north to south and the lack of proper transport and communication facilities, the centrifugal forces were successful in establishing their powers in different parts of the kingdom practically adopting different foreign policy practices. The centre, due to various reasons, could not control these political forces" (Manandhar, 1969). This trend of monopoly of the centre discouraged development. Nepal's complicated geographical position between the two big Asian powers (communist and capitalist mode) and the politics of balancing its relations with these two immediate neighbours has been a strategy or question of its survival and security in the world community as an independent nation (Rose, 1973). Nepal had also to struggle hard to maintain its independent status in global politics. Its impact in foreign policy and development is clearly noticed in all sectors of life. These geographical factors have also raised a critical question on its existence too (Manandhar, 1969). Nepal 's uneasiness and suffocation between its two immediate neighbours had made it a yam between two boulders – had led it complicatedness in every sphere of foreign policy and Nepalese life and development (Bhargava, 1960: 18-19). Nepal retained the status of a buffer between two potential protagonists, China and India . This had complicated Nepalese life and overall development process.

Nepal ’s land-locked position ( India locked country in three sides -east, west and south, and China in the north) has no direct access to the sea. Its nearest seaport is Calcutta , 700 miles far from Nepal . Due to this, Nepal ’s development depends in the types of facilities. India provides in different forms (e.g. trade, transit etc). The high Himalayas , mountains and landlocked ness have complicated development activities and compelled Nepal to stand in the row of landlocked and least developed country. As one of the land-locked or geographically disadvantaged countries of the world, Nepal faces various geographical and economic challenges in Nepal ’s FP and is largely determined by the type of facilities granted by India according to the provisions of international law and on practical and humanitarian grounds. India factor thus becomes one the major determining factors of Nepal ’s FP and pattern of development.

The FP of a particular country is conditioned by the type, quantity and quality of natural and mineral resources within its reserves. Nepal is very poor in such resources though economics and geography books record a number of power resources (e.g. coal, oil, gas, wind and water) and mineral resources (e.g. ore, slate, zinc, lead etc.) in Nepal . But due to various reasons, Nepal has completely failed to utilize, exploit and mobilize those resources for its development activities. This has led to over dependency on India and foreign aid in Nepal, which once, as Mihaly (1965) views, created a type of competition and guerrilla welfare between US and India in the 1950's and 1960's. Again he says, "Foreign and politics created guerrilla war between the Americans and Indians while United States Operation Mission (USOM) and Indian Aid Mission (IAM) were working in Nepal . In post 2002 periods, the competition between foreign powers particularly India and the US in Nepal in the name of democracy was clearly noticed.

[Excerpts from a research article prepared by the author especially for The Telegraph Weekly]