Replies

"Just curious. Who is winning right now?"

In theory the King should win. After all, he has the backing of the army and the police. And half of the population supports his move, especially the urban population of Kathmandu. They distrust the Maoists, because they bring uncertainty. The educated elites fear Khmer Rouge style genocide in Nepal should the Maoists get hold of Kathmandu.

However, since the King's sacking of "democracy" has been condemned by the international community and military aid has been halted, the Maoists COULD gain the upper hand. But, I don't think countries such as USA or India or UK will continue the sanctions. They are just showing that they regret the King's decision, like they condemned Musharraf of Pakistan when he sacked the government and took over. Soon, however, the King's "anti democracy" move will not be the focal point and the anti-Maoist support from the international community(mostly from the west and India) will resume.

"Is the King leaning toward China or India, or he is still trying to get the best deal?"

The King cannot just lean towards China and be anti-India or lean towards India and be anti-China. He must be really careful not to piss off those countries. I personally think he will try to get support from both countries, but the country of most importance is India, because of geographic continuity and cultural ties.