Everybody must read

the Old Nepal is alive despite what we here at Naya Nepal like to think. The new Crisis Group Report is out & available >>
Some highlights - On parties, No fucking change here! UML is " unsure where it stands ideologically, tactically and strategically." NC is "less democratic than ever. MJF is worried of being "outflanked by a more organised challenge from TMDP, NSP or other Madhesi parties." Khume and Govinde are reported to be making a comback. And the Maoists are "more clumsy than totalitarian".

"The noisiest conservative revival has been spearheaded by the urban upper classes. That the Maoists are not the new Khmer Rouge they predicted has not deterred constant cries of “totalitarian dictatorship”. For all their cadres’ sporadic brutality, the Maoists have not muzzled the press, locked up political prisoners or indeed implemented any notably dictatorial measures. Ironically, it is only when they propose genuinely illiberal measures such as completely banning strikes that the “liberal democrats” have rushed to embrace them. In contrast, a budget so un-Maoist that it satisfied the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was greeted with derision for its excessive ambition as well as claims that programs such as a national literacy scheme were camouflaged steps towards a takeover of the state."