|
NepalTHE MILITARY IN THE EARLY 1990S, NEPAL
In the early 1990s, the military retained its generally
privileged position in society. Constitutional
arrangements
mandating an unprecedented degree of civilian control over
national
defense and military affairs still were being ironed out,
however,
and the country's experiment in participatory democracy
still was
in an embryonic stage. The Royal Nepal Army's position
during the
1990 prodemocracy campaign prompted many observers to
predict that
the military would willingly accept its role in the new
constitutional order. Other observers, noting
possibilities of
heightened political competition and strife in the
kingdom, were
not so sanguine. Nepal, however, has never experienced a
military
coup d'état--although the 1960 place coup by King Birendra
was
backed by the military. In sum, the military's position in
society
and its subservience to civilian authority was a
continuing
process, not a settled fact.
There were calls from some political quarters,
particularly
radical communists and a section of the intelligentsia, to
abolish
the monarchy, overhaul the military chain of command,
slash the
defense budget, and ban Indian and British military
recruiting of
Nepalese citizens. These objectives were not shared by the
ruling
Nepali Congress Party government, King Birendra, large
sections of
the Nepalese public, and the military itself--all of which
voiced
unequivocal opposition to any political attempts to
radically alter
traditional patterns of civil-military relations. By 1991
the Royal
Nepal Army, long a bulwark of the monarchy, appeared to be
adjusting to the new requirements laid down by the
constitution and
the new democratically elected government. Most civilian
politicians also recognized the value of maintaining a
disciplined,
reliable military that could enforce public order,
symbolize the
nation's independence, and allow the government to proceed
with the
monumental task of improving the economic well-being of
its
citizens.
* * *
There are numerous popular works detailing the history,
traditions, and martial prowess of the Gurkhas. Among the
more
interesting are such vintage publications as Francis Ivan
Simms
Tucker's Gorkha: The Story of the Gurkhas of Nepal,
Byron
Farwell's The Gurkhas, and Robin Adshead's
Gurkha: The
Legendary Soldier. John Masters's classic novel
Bugles and
a Tiger provides colorful insight into the Gurkha
tradition.
For insights into the British Indian Army from which the
Royal
Nepalese Army traces its origin, see Stephen P. Cohen's
monograph,
The Indian Army.
Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive work on
Nepal's army,
as most publications deal with Gurkha regiments. Basic
information
on Nepal's order of battle can be obtained from the
annual, The
Military Balance; periodic articles in Far Eastern
Economic
Review, Asian Defence Journal, and India
Today
shed some light on Nepalese military and defense topics.
Nepal's
English-language press is generally unenlightening on
issues
relating to defense; the government-controlled Rising
Nepal
is probably the best source for photos, commentaries, and
a flavor
of local opinion. Leo E. Rose's Nepal: Strategy for
Survival
ranks as the best source on Nepal's defense and foreign
policy
concerns, although it is somewhat dated. Historical
documents
relating to Nepal's defense can be found in Documents
on Nepal's
Relations with India and China, 1949-1966, edited by
A.S.
Bhasin. Niranjan Koirala's "Nepal in 1990: End of an Era"
in the
February 1991 issue of Asian Survey provides a
succinct
summary of the Indo-Nepalese trade and transit dispute.
Annual updates on Nepal in Asian Survey and the
Far
Eastern Economic Review's Asia Yearbook are useful
sources
on Nepalese defense affairs; the Hoover Institution's
annual
Yearbook on International Communist Affairs details
the
activities of Nepalese communists; and the Department of
State's
annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for
1990
highlights Nepal's record and accomplishments in human
rights. A
much darker view of the problem can be found in Amnesty
International's Nepal: A Pattern of Human Rights
Violations.
(For further information and complete citations,
see
Bibliography.)
Data as of September 1991
|
