Revive Policy Of Dynamic Neutrality

When any dispute or war erupted between two nations in the past, the general trend was that the neighbouring countries and other friendly nations used to come together to urge the warring countries to end the conflict. 

This trend has been seen working in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine as well. In fact, Russia had set some conditions before Ukraine prior to the invasion. But Ukraine ignored them straightforward saying that it was a sovereign country.  Russia has launched the war against Ukraine since February 24 this year. The conflict has not only become devastating for Ukraine but also created the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe after World War II. 

The people living in different parts of the world have remained directly or indirectly affected by the war. This can be observed in terms of food scarcity and exorbitant price hike of fuels and other commodities. But, instead of playing their role as mediators, the United States of America (USA), and its allies-- North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the United Kingdom (UK) and other nations-- are arming Ukraine. 

The United Nations, on the other hand, has become a mere observer of the massive humanitarian calamity and destruction of Ukraine. Thus, it is needless to say that the Ukraine war is the sheer failure of diplomacy of the modern day. 

It is necessary for the Nepali people to learn a lesson from the war in Ukraine as Nepal is a landlocked nation between two giants-- India and China. Nepal’s unifier King Prithvi Narayan Shah had symbolically presented the nation as a yam between the two boulders.  

Inheriting the adage of the far-sighted leader, the country formulated her foreign policy after the advent of democracy in 1950. In the past, our foreign policy had incorporated the themes of the UN Charter, the principle of non-alignment and Panchasheel. Thus, our foreign policy was termed as neutral. It means we are a sovereign nation. Neither we neither attack other nations nor interfere in their internal affairs. 

However, Geja Sharma Wagle, an expert on foreign affairs, says that that foreign policy did not work when the border war between India and China erupted in 1962. Wagle says that amid a foreign policy crisis, the then King Mahendra Shah had brought about some changes in the neutral foreign policy. Mahendra had termed the new foreign policy as ‘foreign policy of dynamic neutrality’. Under that policy, he kept India and China on an equal distance.

As said earlier, the geopolitical condition is changing. The Peoples’ Republic of China is emerging as another superpower; whereas, the USA and its allies are seen committed to contain China. On the other hand, India has been influencing the world economy and politics. 

Our foreign policy laws are under review in the Federal Parliament. The House should pass it at the earliest so as to make our position firm and clear in the world stage. If we fail to formulate appropriate foreign policy in accordance with our geopolitical situation, we may head toward conflict as prominent leader of China Chou En-Lai had said, ’All diplomacy is a continuation of war by other means’.