Peace and conflict are perennially fascinating concepts in the domain of International Relations. The twin concepts are evocative of crisis, its management and also its repercussions. They could be opposed to each other; yet together they form a logical complex—one being the precursor of the other, one being a problem while the other, its resolution. What does the interface of these two concepts lead to? This foremost impacts the status of human security situations in the regions afflicted by conflicts and instability. Therefore, a book titled Conflict, Peace and Human Security in South Asia sounds pertinent as it seems to reflect upon peace and conflict in a region where a fifth of humanity lives. Purna Bahadur Karki’s book is an edited compendium of chapters that attempts to coalesce debates on some overarching issues besetting the region especially in terms of social and political development—and it does so by focusing particularly on Nepal.
Divided into nine chapters, the book tries to capture a mosaic of issues within Nepal with a keen focus on its political development and its social growth. Nestled in the mighty Himalayas, Nepal, otherwise a peaceful nation state has, of late, witnessed longstanding transition and disruption. The former kingdom has been walking the road towards meaningful democratization and has persisted through several stumbling blocks on the way. Even though its journey to achieve democracy has been decades long, the road ahead still looks a bumpy one—with some sections already calling out for restoration of monarchy.
In this context, the book straightaway dives into the political transition of the country that continues to stay at a critical juncture. Nepal witnessed long spates of Maoist insurgency, and later, there were insurmountable challenges in assimilating the insurgent constituencies in the mainstream politics. In this context, the first chapter discusses the inception of the Communist movement in Nepal—founded early in 1949 upholding socialist slogans and agendas concerning universal civil liberty. The promulgation of the Constitution was significant in reinforcing the status of Communist politics in Nepal as combatants were mainstreamed and inducted in security forces, thereby legitimizing their agenda of equality and inclusion (p. 33). An intersecting facet the book brings out is how the country that was never a colony had a long stint of monarchy where some rulers even exhibited streaks of despotism. In times of political tumult, there has been latent resistance to the rulers from time to time and, consequently, the political parties came up with ideas on ways to democratize the nation.
The book takes a forward-looking direction by delving into gender issues and how women’s participation, amongst other things, is a positive cue that has emerged in the post conflict situation in Nepal. The chapter on gender parity discusses the ascent of women in Nepal’s politics after parties in the 2017 local elections adhered to giving a sizeable 40 per cent share to women. A high number amongst those women candidates registered victory as well. The Constitution of 2015 ensured gender justice by guaranteeing 33 per cent representation for women in all political spheres.
The book brings to the fore a core geopolitical ground reality concerning China’s ingress in the region. In South Asia, China’s growing influence is a reality to reckon with, especially amongst the weaker smaller countries including those who have initially shown deep interest in Chinese engagement given the latter’s vast resources and deep pockets. The book comprehensively throws light on China’s strengthening foothold in South Asia. It encapsulates the historical roots of China’s inroads in South Asia which date back to the 3rd century arguing that till the middle of the 19th century, such exchanges were merely cultural and religious. These ancient links became political only under British India and, more so, after China regained independence in the late 1940s. Broadly, this particular chapter niches itself on China’s economic heft and how smaller countries in the region have found a suitable and reliable power to bank upon for their growing economic needs and aspirations. The chapter dwells on the interplay of conflict and rivalry between India and China in the context of their respective equations with countries in South Asia and what drives the other nations’ preferences vis-à-vis both. The author also reflects on the challenges of nations prioritizing whom to partner with and when. The choices aren’t simple as India is pitched as the regional giant versus China’s global power status. It is a reality, however, that China has emerged as a significant player in the region—Pakistan being its largest market while Bangladesh is its largest trading partner, as the book argues. With Nepal, China has had an aid agreement signed way back in 1956 and the economic relations have been recalibrated at various points of time. More contemporarily, under Xi Jinping, the China-Nepal trade relations have flourished (p. 164). The chapter concludes positing that what South Asia needs is not containment of China in the region but a realistic engagement strategy that takes care of interests of all partner countries in the region. In a subsequent chapter, the book also dives into the United States-China rivalry and how it intermeshes with the region’s geopolitics, given the US’s traditional role and influence in the region compared to China’s newer strategic interests.
The book treads on an ambitious agenda to look at Nepal from multifaceted human-centric prisms of gender justice, politics of empowerment as well as a geopolitical lens covering regional rivalries including those between great powers like the United States and China. The book looks at debates about refugees, identity, sense of belonging, and philosophical traits derived from religions such as Buddhism. It reflects on the country’s legal framework and the systems of redressal, the overarching complexities of justice, inclusivity and sharing of power, the rights of victims and how Nepal’s legal justice system multifariously provides protection in this regard.
The book makes giant, at points, rather abrupt leaps to talk about daunting issues of geopolitics. The narrative conveys an impression of spreading itself too thin. An edited volume has a common thread or theme around which its contributions are intermeshed. Unfortunately, in this book, most chapters are on disparate themes with no coherence. The lack of academic rationality and logic is a major criticism of the book despite the fact that each chapter is well researched. Also, a different title reflecting the macrocosm of the issues discussed herein would have made a difference. Nepal should have found a mention in the title or the sub-title in order to make it better representative of the text in the book.
Priyanka Singh is Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.