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BOOK REVIEW |
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BOOK REVIEW |
Whose
War? The
ongoing conflict opens up different areas of studies By A
CORRESPONDENT With the intensification of the Maoist insurgency, many books have already been written analyzing and explaining various factors contributing to its cause. Based on the field work studies conducted by three researchers Dhakal, Sangraula and Bartaman between May 2 to June 24, 2003, the book tries to explain the ongoing Maoist conflict on economic, social and cultural basis. As three researchers' have made efforts to analyze the conflict by visiting the rural areas, the book is confined on explaining how the Maoist insurgency is deeply rooted in the rural hinterland and its implication to the day-to-day lives of the people.
Based on theoretical approaches, the authors explain how political instability supported to intensify the insurgency in the country. Although Nepal faced much political conflict in the past, this is for the first time when the conflict spread and was deeply entrenched in the hinterlands. How a small group of insurgents were able to minimize the most powerful mainstream parties? The researchers, as those of other rhetoric-based books, squarely lay blame on the mismanagement of mainstream political leaders. If it is only the cause, why has not the insurgency engulfed many other countries of the world where political mismanagement is much worse than in Nepal? "It is difficult to explain the conflict in terms of its causes and consequences, because the answers are not as straightforward as one sequence, because the answers are not as straightforward as one would like them to be. Everyone - the King, political parties and the Maoists and even us individuals and members of civil society organizations- have made mistakes, sometimes knowingly and sometimes out of ignorance. It may be difficult, if not impossible, to undo many of the wrongs of the past, but 10 years is enough time to learn from the mistakes and begin corrective actions. That is the way to go, because that is the only way Nepal can have lasting peace again," write Arjun Karki and Binod Bhattarai. "The report is unique because it attempts to assess the impact of the conflict in terms of the sufferings of the people. Where possible, it also tries to assess the impact in terms of the broader socio-economic context. The book is not new in terms of content. What is new is the attempt to understand the conflict in the ways people in the villages have witnessed or experienced violence." From the first chapter to the last, authors attempt to provide the state of life in different Maoist-affected districts including the change in life styles and trauma faced by the people there "The first two chapters of the report attempt to provide an update on the Maoist People's War in Nepal using information from both the fieldwork and secondary sources, while the rest of the study reports largely the findings from the fieldwork, which is also the basis for the conclusions," write the author duo. Based on the field report of Kalali, Rolpa, Baglung, Dolkha and Sankhuwasabha districts, the report has its limitations particularly in the areas of collecting the information. Following the launching of the insurgency in 1996, more than 9,000 people have already lost their lives. Thanks to the initiative of NGO Federation, the report has come out with the hard efforts from three researchers Dhakal, Shangri-La and Bartaman. Whose War? |
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