Is Nepal the Next Cambodia?

August 14, 2005 4:44 AM

Is Nepal the Next Cambodia?Many experts fear the worst. Despite its tourist-friendly, pacific image, Nepal is teetering on the brink of collapse as a little-noticed but brutal Maoist insurgency tries to take down an equally vicious government. The story was reported by Matthew McAllester and photographed by Moises Saman, both of whom know something about surviving terror and violence. An Amnesty International report condemns the violence of both sides. This Royal Nepalese Army page describes its mission; take a look at His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.
posted by etaoin (12 comments total)

While I appreciate the educational impulse, we had an extremely thorough post by Plep just last October, and there have been followups since. Unless there have been important new developments (and I don't think a Newsday summary of the situation qualifies), I don't really see the reason for this post. But maybe it will start a good discussion.
posted by languagehat at 6:52 AM on August 14, 2005

Nepal is on the brink yes, and like languagehat said, we've been tracking it for quite sometime, but comparing the insurgency to *Cambodia* is, I believe, a tad too much. Surely, the Khmer Rouge was many times bloodier than the Maoists?
posted by the cydonian at 7:09 AM on August 14, 2005

It's hard to tell at this time. What were the warning signs, if any, of the the Khmer Rouge atrocitities?

Thank you for this update, I had missed the previous.

I think, though, that Nepal will not gather much more international attention, because the conflict is at once so messy and so complicated. There is no clearly good side, and the conflict is heavily tied up in economic, social and ethnic tensions which are not easily explained. I don't feel like I fully understand it, though I do understand the appeal of Maoist rhetoric to peasants and tenant farmers who feel like they have little other option. I am curious as to what inspires the loyal villagers.
posted by jb at 9:52 AM on August 14, 2005

The RNA site linked above describes the Maoists "a movement that openly idolizes Pol Pot, follows Shining Path doctrine and even now, openly practices murder on ideological grounds".
posted by ikalliom at 11:48 AM on August 14, 2005

All due respect, languagehat, plep didn't go to Nepal, take beautiful photographs, and interview people on both sides of the conflict. This is a new, excellent series of the kind that US journalism doesn't do enough.

What were the warning signs, if any, of the the Khmer Rouge atrocitities?

It's not academically rigorous, I suppose, but this Eight Stages of Genocide is a good start.

the conflict is at once so messy and so complicated

Not really. The Maoist insurgency is following a by-the-book People's War; one of the explicit strategies involved is to alienate, isolate and exclude any moderate political base, by violence if necessary. This is why civil society in Nepal has declined so quickly and dramatically. Since February, it's been battered by the royalists as well.

The Intenrational Crisis Group has recommendations.

This map shows areas (mostly) controlled by the rebels in red, and those with guerrilla activity in pink. It's most of the country, but then again, the pink areas are where the Maoist ideology isn't selling as well.

I am curious as to what inspires the loyal villagers.

One of the motivations, apparently, is that the caste system remains alive and well in Nepal.
posted by dhartung at 12:50 PM on August 14, 2005

dhartung - I haven't had a chance to go through all your links, but I would be very curious to know how the caste system works to support the royal house. Is it out of deference?
posted by jb at 4:32 PM on August 14, 2005

This is good information and a good piece of journalism. Thanks, etaoin.

jb - Broadly speaking, the caste system provides a religious basis for 'keeping people in place'. Obviously, there's a strong incentive for those at the bottom of the system to be attracted to ideologies which oppose it. Unlike other varieties of revolutionary Marxism which focused on the industrial working classes, Maoism was adapted with peasant societies in mind.
posted by plep at 2:32 AM on August 15, 2005

For a very readable and thorough look at genocide check out A Little Matter Of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas 1492 to Present by Ward Churchill published by Arbeiter Ring Publishing
posted by xpermanentx at 6:38 AM on August 15, 2005

f'n moists.
posted by delmoi at 11:58 AM on August 15, 2005

Seriously. Maoism? What kind of stupid retro bullshit is that?

Incidentally, my wife was at one time supposed to spend 3-4 months in Nepal doing research, which was cancelled only when the royal family was killed two weeks before she was scheduled to fly in.

As it turned out, there were a number of massacres in the area they were planning to visit, after the Maoists tried to use the regicide as an opportunity to stage a revolution.
posted by iron chef morimoto at 1:09 PM on August 15, 2005

...which the Government then brutally suppressed.
posted by iron chef morimoto at 1:10 PM on August 15, 2005

Just to add: the "loyal" villagers spoken of hate the remaining monarch. Monarchy or no, the Maoists weren't a problem on this scale until the royal slaughter.
posted by dreamsign at 1:19 PM on August 15, 2005