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Who Lost Nepal?
WSJ ^ | Dec 21, 2005 | Robert Kaplan

Posted on 12/24/2005 12:39:03 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe

Nepal, sandwiched between the two rising economic and demographic behemoths of the age—China and India—could be the first country since the fall of the Berlin Wall where communists emerge triumphant. If the Bush administration does not act decisively, that's what might happen. The administration should not take solace in the flurry of negotiations between the Maoist insurgents (who control most of the hinterlands) and the country's political parties in Kathmandu, which could undermine the last vestige of legitimate royal authority while further strengthening the insurgents.

By canceling Special Forces training missions to the besieged Royal Nepalese Army, and with the possibility of lethal cuts of American aid to the local military, the administration, along with Washington, has bought into popular abstractions about how to best implant democracy while ignoring the facts on the ground.

Nepal is fast becoming a replay of both Cambodia in the mid-1970s and El Salvador a decade later. In Cambodia, the monstrous Khmer Rouge were threatening the capital of Phnom Penh, home to a pathetically undemocratic yet legitimate regime to which a Democratic Congress had cut off aid—a result of the Watergate-inflicted weakness of the Nixon administration. In El Salvador, murderous right-wing forces that nevertheless represented a legitimate state were pitted against murderous left-wing ones that represented the geopolitical ambitions of the Soviet Union and Cuba. Though the media emphasized the atrocities of the right wing, the Reagan administration had little choice but to work with them. Eventually, the right wing in El Salvador, with the help of a small number of Army Special Forces trainers, won the day. And in the years that followed the Salvadoran state and military were reformed.

(Excerpt) Read more at samudaya.org ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: communism; india; maoists; nepal
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Thanks...will do.


21 posted on 12/24/2005 2:23:24 PM PST by indcons (Merry Christmas FReepers)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
Located between India and China , the USA would be wise and well advised to very overtly do all it can to help Royal Nepal Army Forces resist and beat the Maoists forces.
The historic fact of Khmer Rogue , and Shining Path (Peru)
Maoists forces and their take overs (or attempts) should be the justification of this support. The US needs a strong ally
along the ridge of the highest point in the World to counter balance PRC expansionism and Indian proclivities to ultra leftist communism and maoism itself.
Nepal is easily one of the most absolutely scenic places on Earth as well. It would be a huge tragedy if this wonderful place were to be lost into the abysmal pit of Maoist fantasy ! Pressure India to over-rule it's own maoist sympathizers and work with Nepal , as they did with Bhutan last year to pincer and crush the maoists and cut off all their training bases and paths of ingress and egress.
India KNOWS all about the Tamil Tiger trainers and weapons conduits , but it foolishly does almost nothing !
22 posted on 12/24/2005 5:10:11 PM PST by injin
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Great! Now we'll be able to buy better Burberry knockoffs, innit.


23 posted on 12/25/2005 8:02:27 AM PST by D.P.Roberts
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To: D.P.Roberts

Sorry, Posted to wrong thread.


24 posted on 12/25/2005 8:04:56 AM PST by D.P.Roberts
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To: Tailgunner Joe

The world is quite comfortable with holding Uncle Sam's coat and telling him to 'go at it' whenever anything needs fixing. Then complaining loudly.


25 posted on 12/25/2005 11:04:56 AM PST by hershey
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