Nepal, a country which never came under the yoke of any colonial power, is proud of a glorious history of national independence. In fact, Nepal’s success in the struggles for maintaining her independent national existence, despite some setbacks, including the loss of gained territories, has widely been discussed and acclaimed by both national and foreign scholars.[break]
For over a century, Nepal had to remain in isolation due to the repressive Rana regime which deprived the people of their civil rights and political liberties. The People’s Movement of 1951 overthrew this 104-year-old regime and ushered in a new era of democratic rule. Nepal simultaneously abandoned its isolationist policy and opened itself up to the outside world in the same decade.
The year 1955 provides another landmark in Nepal’s diplomatic history. She attended the first Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and was admitted as member to the United Nations in December. Later, in 1961, as a founder member of the Nonaligned Movement (NAM), Nepal attended the first NAM Summit held in Belgrade, the capital of the then Yugoslavia.
While her UN and NAM membership has enabled Nepal to become active in multilateral diplomacy and project its international image, Nepal has also established diplomatic relations with more than 130 countries during the last five decades and a half.
Friendship with so many countries is an expression of Nepal’s desire and policy not only to diversify its external relations but also to seek cooperation, understanding and goodwill in its efforts to accelerate the pace of national development for the wellbeing of its people.
This is the message conveyed to policymakers and students of diplomacy by Hiranya Lal Shrestha, a writer, a journalist, a diplomat and, above all, a scholar with more than 25 publications to his credit, through his latest book, “Mitratako Sayapatri” or Hundred Petals of Friendship. It is a useful reference book, more informative than analytical, that provides information about one hundred and one countries in alphabetical order, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, spanning all the continents of the world with which Nepal has diplomatic relations.
Shrestha, apart from discussing political relations, also attaches special significance to Nepal’s economic relations with these countries in terms of trade, tourism, foreign employment, and foreign investment. Cultural affinities and close social ties between Nepal and some countries, particularly its neighbors, are also highlighted by the author in the book.
The writer himself describes his approach or methodology as a “brief survey,” thereby implying that a comprehensive study could be undertaken about each country included in the book. The book rightly observes that bilateral relations so happily existing between Nepal and other countries discussed in the book should be promoted simultaneously not only at the state or official level but also at the people-to-people level.
There is no denying the fact that friendship can further be enriched and strengthened through people-to people contacts and interactions. The establishment of diplomatic relations, followed by the opening of residential embassies in each other’s capitals, provides a significant opportunity for Nepal and its friends to better understand each other’s aspirations, interests and sensitivities, and share each other’s resources, experiences, knowledge, and expertise for mutual benefits.
The introductory chapter in which Shrestha traces, albeit briefly, the evolution of Nepal’s foreign policy in various phases, including the renewed emphasis on economic diplomacy as a new dimension of the country’s foreign policy and Nepal’s contribution to world peace through its involvement in the UN peacekeeping operations, is preceded by an excellent commentary on the book by Prof. Jaya Raj Acharya, himself a scholar and a diplomat. Acharya’s opinion lucidly clarifies and further reinforces most of the points raised and discussed by the author in the book.
Likewise, Prof. Dr. Shreedhar Gautam, another scholar and a foreign policy analyst, in his article “Hundred Petals of Friendship: A Book with Diplomatic Vision,” commends the writer and his book for giving “primary data and information to know about the concrete situation of many countries.”
The book, in brief, is a valuable addition to the existing repertory on Nepal’s foreign policy and diplomacy.
A Professor of English at Tribhuvan University for decades and still a continuing educator and educationist, the author is a former ambassador to Bangladesh.
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