I agree wholeheartedly with your editorial 'Road to nowhere' (#260) and pray that others read and appreciate what it said. Sadly, I think though that the road is going somewhere and that is to oblivion. I do wish all the participants who are protesting or arguing, whether they be the Royalists, the politicians,the Maoists, the students, the media etc., realised that if this situation continues Nepal may cease to exist as an independent kingdom. If this happens then not only they,but the Nepali people, will lose everything purely because these disputes could not be settled in peaceful discussions. I pray that I am wrong and that everyone wakes up before what I dread comes to pass. Long Live Nepal.
J Winstanley,
England
. Much as I would like to agree with the sentiments expressed in your editorial 'Road to nowhere', you exhibit a dangerous naivety in thinking that a band of ruthless revolutionaries like the Maoists will ever listen to anything other than counterforce. They have showed this time and again by using peace talks and ceasefires only for tactical advantage. Yes, many Nepalis will be killed but there is really no other way to subdue to the Maoists and bringing them to negotiate than by giving them a bloody nose. And the sooner the arms embargo on Nepal is lifted to bolster the RNA's capacity to fight the Maoists the better it will be for India and the foreign community as well. Otherwise they may have to come here to help us fight the Maoists.
JN Singh,
Kathmandu
. For several years now, no independent defence analyst worth their salt in Nepal, South Asia or the rest of the world would claim that a final military victory for either side in Nepal is possible. Yet both the government and Maoists continue to champion their respective abilities to prevail militarily. The hopeful imagery of approaching triumph propagated by both sides is nothing more than a sickening ploy to mask painful realities. Over the course of Nepal's conflict, some of the language used by both sides to refer to what they have done or will do to their enemies, for example, 'smashin&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;', 'crushing' and 'annihilating', is not only childish but also plain wrong. It is true that both sides may experience small-scale military successes (no doubt coupled with heavy civilian casualties) but there is nothing in the military sphere that will break this stalemate and give either side a clear strategic advantage.
If the Maoists suffer a series of defeats, they will simply revert to the more elementary guerilla tactics they employed during the initial stages of the 'people's war' until they have restored their capacity to fight on a larger scale. Whatever damage the Maoists inflict, they will not be able to capture significant amounts of new territory.
In any case, a final military victory in itself never offers any long-term answers, and is unlikely to offer any prospects of a real solution to the root social, economic and political causes of violence. Only a rights-based, democratic governance system with elected representatives who control one national security force can legitimately and successfully address the structural factors of exclusion and poverty. And the only way to achieve this is through a ceasefire, negotiated solution that includes all sections of society, free and fair elections, and amendments to the constitution.
Nine years and 12,000 lives later, genuine grievances have not been addressed, rather they have increased. It is a great tragedy that both the government and Maoists want to continue this pointless violence against the wishes of the vast majority of Nepalis.
Sunit Bagree,
email
. It seems the press and politicians will never tire of lecturing the government. It keeps repeating to the army, for example, that there is no military solution to the Maoist problem, especially given Nepal's difficult terrain ('Road to nowhere', #260). What are the chances that army servicemen who've spent their lives learning the science of warfare are unaware of this? But is it realistic to expect them to openly acknowledge this and put down their guns? Is it even desirable? The effective solution to the present turmoil requires the populace to be prepared to battle the lethal ideology of the insurgents. The idea that violence is a valid tool for political ends, the belief in fighting existing injustices and inequities with further injustice and terror, and the idea that everything needs to be smashed before anything else can be built have to be roundly defeated. The intelligentsia of Nepal is tasked with the challenge of preparing such an ideological front against the Maoists, as the political leaders are tasked with building a strong, unwavering political policy and strategy to confront them. In their single-minded aim of wresting 'democracy', these leaders are leaving our backsides exposed to an even more virulent form of totalitarianism. These leaders can make themselves more useful by preparing their own fronts against the Maoists and convincing the people of it. Unless this happens, it may not even be wise to ask the army to dismantle the only deterrence against totalitarian victory. Is further depressing an already demoralised populace the best our leaders can do?
Abhishek Basnyat,
Washington DC
. After all suffering that one can bear, from killing of beloved royal family to abuse/misuse by political leaders, from witnessing thousands being killed in a senseless war to loosing democracy, the only way Nepalis can move is to move on the road to peace. But alas, the road does not go further ahead but turns back ('Road to nowhere', # 260). Victory in war is always illusion, the sacrifice is futile. Maoists once again have proved that they are not genuine politcal agents of change but terrorists who want to hurt the poorest of Nepal's poor who live in the Karnali by sabotaging a highway. Prosperity is their main enemy, they want to stop it in the name of revolution. The only thing more disappointing than that is the apathy of political parties and their continued blame game. The onus is now on the people to rise up and struggle for peace and development.
Sameer Ghimire,
Sydney
