Nepal Unprecedented in Post-World War II World

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By John Child in Kathmandu

A glass half-full perspective on Nepal

On a lovely spring day a year ago, The American ambassador to Nepal greeted a meeting by saying, "Good morning, it's another beautiful day in paradise." The irony was apparent: King Gyanendra's palace-rule was crumbling as daily pro-democracy demonstrations filled Kathmandu's streets, and teargas had drifted over the ambassador's residence in the center of the city twice during the previous week. One subject of the meeting was preparations for a possible evacuation of Americans from the country.

What a difference a year makes! Today Nepal's insurrection is over. An interim constitution has led to a power-sharing government and a parliament comprising the major political parties and the Maoists. There is a formal peace, the UN is supervising control of substantial numbers of weapons and combatants, and preparations are underway for a constitutional convention to determine Nepal's future.

The process is messy: There are demonstrations, demands from interest groups, and politicians making statements. It's called democracy. Nepal has done something almost unprecedented in the post-World War II world. It has transitioned from civil conflict to a peaceful process. Most similar situations around the world have dragged on for decades, as in Peru and the Philippines. Others, like Bosnia and, arguably, Angola, have been settled through massive outside intervention.

Nepal has done this by itself. Like any sausage factory or functioning democracy, the process is unattractive. But that's the way the system works.

The issue of ethnic rights and, perhaps, regional autonomy is at the forefront in Nepal now. Longstanding tensions were raised in 1990 when Nepal transitioned from royal rule to parliamentary democracy, but they were submerged in attempts to build Nepali nationalism. The Maoists used and inflamed those ethnic tensions to destabilize the state. Now that they are part of the government, the Maoists may regret that choice, but the issues need to be aired and to become part of the discussion at the constitutional convention.

Violence over the ethnic issues is caused mostly by a Maoist splinter group, the JTMM, and its imitators, and it may be fanned by monarchists hoping to destabilize the current government. The violence is a law and order issue - over 50 percent of Nepalis recently polled said law and order was the government's most important job now - but vigorous free speech and petition for redress of grievances are cornerstones of democracy.

That is what is happening in Nepal today.

The outcome can't be foretold, but every believer in democracy should be pleased with the process and amazed at the progress.