At a program entitled "Nepali Foreign Policy at Crossroads," organized by the Sangam Institute for Policy Analysis and Strategic Studies in association with the Central Department of Political Science, Tribhuvan University, the academics spoke on five major themes, which included challenges in formulating an effective foreign policy, role of donor community in shaping Nepal´s foreign policy, national interests, dynamics of foreign affairs and Nepal´s role in the UN peacekeeping operations.
Professor Ram Kumar Dahal said, "For the past two decades, Nepal´s foreign policy could not have a clear vision due to the lack of political stability and coordination among various stakeholders and major political parties." According to Dahal, the lack of common political consensus, polarization of the foreign policy bureaucracy and absence of political commitments for democratization and modernization of the country´s foreign policy were the main weaknesses of the Nepali foreign policy.
The speakers noted that the role of donors in Nepal´s development endeavors also dominated the foreign policy agenda. However, they said that the foreign aid could not play its intended role due to uncontrolled flow of money and unplanned spending. Dr Rabindra Khanal said, "After 1990, Nepal government did what the donors asked it to do, but no satisfactory results came from such aid," adding, "Thus it is time that we revised our policy regarding foreign aid. We must think on the line of making the country ´s economy self-sustainable and prioritize the areas of interest as no country can develop solely by foreign aid."
Speaking on Nepal´s relation with India and China, Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani said, "As India-China relationship backed by powerful economic variables improves, China will be cautious in its dealings with Nepal so as not to create any serious problems with India as long as the Indian side does not pose a threat to China."
On the other hand, the participants pointed at Nepal´s involvement in UN peacekeeping operations as the most successful component of the country´s foreign policy. Lt General Balananda Sharma (Retd) pointed at the need to systematically develop institutions of peace academy to train capable Nepali officials for UN operations abroad. "The army and the government must play proactive role to enhance the capability of our soldiers," Sharma said.
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