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On Conflict Resolution
The book discusses ways for negotiations between the two parties involved in the conflict
By A CORRESPONDENT
After the inception of the violent insurgency in the country, many seminars were held to analyze the state of conflict. Many books have been published in Nepal analyzing various ways out of conflict resolution and conflict management but this is the first of its kind which discuses the critical barriers to the negotiation of armed conflict.
As the country has been facing critical situation, this book highlights various ways to deal with it, particularly focusing on the negotiated settlements of conflict. In most of the country, conflicts end with negotiated settlement.
"Nepal is facing a period of deep structural crisis in which national security, peace and democracy are intensely affected by violent conflict. Citizens are exerting pressure on the conflicting parties to create a condition, which would transform violent conflict towards de-escalation and ultimately resolution," writes Dev Raj Dahal, head of FES, Nepal. "Negotiated settlement emphasizes on mutual understanding between the protagonists and a common political vision to take concrete policy steps to address the root cause of the conflict."
Based on papers presented by senior journalist Mana Ranjan Josse, conflict expert Bishnu Raj Upreti, Shrawan Sharma and Gunanidhi Sharma, the book tries to explain Nepalese conflict in diverse dimensions. "The conflict situation today has acquired such alarming proportions that it is hard to imagine whether another round of peace talks between the warring factions will materialize, at least in the foreseeable future," write editors Ananda P.Shrestha and Hari Uprety. "In this context, the criteria for choosing/selecting and laying down the responsibilities of facilitators are also crucial and should be free from biases - political ideology and otherwise."
Despite constant and continuous efforts to analyze the different approaches of insurgency and ways for the conflict resolution, there is hardly any consensus on the nature and types of violent insurgency in Nepal. As political parties, security agencies, civil society seem to be confused on the sources and financing of terrorism, almost all seminars end with the discussion and analysis of other issues. This is the reason country is yet to correctly diagnose the violent insurgency.
As usual, senior journalist Josse extensively discusses the insurgency and its implications citing many books written by internationally renowned authors. This paper helps to broaden the knowledge regarding the insurgency. Josse explains ups and downs in the communist history of Nepal till a group took a gun. Josse also discusses the role of external factors including India, China and USA on the resolution of the conflict. "The theme of this seminar paper quite clearly suggests that it be composed two distinct segments: one dealing with the history and genesis of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal; the other, with possible tools for negotiating the on-going conflict, based in general on ideas/insights sparked by the former," writes senior journalist Josse in his paper History and Genesis of Nepal's Maoist Insurgency: Tools for Negotiating Conflict.
Conflict expert Bishnu Raj Upreti discusses the theme Conflict Resolution in Nepal: Traditional Approaches and the Questions Of Third Party Mediation. Shrawan Sharma presents a paper on the Role and Choice of Facilitators in Negotiating Conflict: The Nepalese Experience and Gurnanidhi Sharma discusses the Cost of Conflict and Donor's Dilemma: How is Nepal Coping?
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