If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. The absolute monarchists and the Maoists, who have together commandeered this country, face this dilemma. Neither can seem to extricate itself and the nation from the quagmire it has got us into.

Those who believe in violence as the only way to rise to power have a deeper distrust of those who don't than they do for each other. Hence the mass detentions of party activists and civil society members last week. Journalists and students were baton charged and doused with water cannons because they dared to protest peacefully. The government's defence of crackdowns cited elsewhere in this paper is that the Maoists would infiltrate the dems. But that is disingennuous-if democracy wasn't throttled a year ago there would be no need for pro-democracy rallies.

For their part, the Maoists have two options ahead of them: keep on this deadend military path or join the mainstream. Their return to war has eroded the little public support mustered during the ceasefire and it has brought international disapproval. By shooting mayoral candidates they have seriously jeopardised the pact with the parties. But the comrades must be in a fix: they can't threaten the government without escalating the violence but if they do so they will strengthen the king's hand.

By prolonging the conflict, they give the palace-army combine the excuse to perpetuate crackdowns on democratic institutions and the media. And the five-day national shutdown next week will actually help the government conduct a stealthy election.

Assassinating municipal candidates or slaughtering policemen, razing Tansen or burning Sajha buses helps only an interventionist monarchy, no one else. Even the rebels themselves won't benefit from dragging this on.

In fact the comrades may want to consider that the best way to take the wind out of the sails of the royal regime is to renounce violence and steer themselves towards representational politics as they promised in their agreement with the political parties. That way, the army will have no reason to fight and the palace will have no justification for continuing to hound the democracy movement.

Remove the nail, and the hammer will have nothing to hit. It will be purely ceremonial.