The democracy we enjoyed after the revolt in 1990 was brought in by Nepalese but was hugely successful because India indirectly helped the rebellious political parties by imposing sanctions and so on. Would there have been a multiparty system had India not imposed all kinds of hurdles to the then government? The government, including King Birendra, were trying all they could to avert any coup d'etat back then. The governement became so weak then because of the sanctions that King Birendra had no choice, but tried very hard to hold onto the last straw. Had India directly calculated the effects of sanctions and provided a clearcut, albeit unofficial, roadmap? I doubt it existed as such, but intentions of all sanctions, which were double-edged, were clear. Our big brother looks at Nepal much more differently than it looks at Pakistan, or for that matter Bhutan, although right now Bhutan might be enjoying closer ties with India than Nepal is. Our cultural similarities are so vivid that many Indians, mostly from the southern parts, still think Nepal is a part of India. Nepal is a big market for India and a big source of resources. And of course Nepal barely escaped from the grasp of India when the partition took place. It reminds me of mickey mouse cartoons. ---------- Now should India impose sanctions again, she will be having to send troops along with the rations it will let trickle through the checkpoints (it has to let them through, though). The equation now has changed. The situation is so bad, there is a good chance that already the RNA is thinking of taking the executive power in its hand. On the other hand, the second force now is Maoists, only then the third force is the government. Either way this prolonged crisis is not working towards the benefit of the king, not to mention its effect on commn people. The king thinks he is winning by "divide and rule" tactics, my conclusion is he is losing big time. This is only a matter of time that the king will shed his executive power, and a good possibility that Paras will not be a king! Only solution is constituent assembly, before that a parliament which will help it be formed and which showcase the king inside the palace where he belongs. ONly hope is that Prachanda and Baburam are both still sane and that they will then come to the table in reality (they may not come to the table even then). ------------ To allow third party to help you is not always good. It is not OK to accept donations from other countries if you can reject them. I believe Nepal would have rejected foreign donations every single time if only she could have. A country where more than 50 % of the budget is run by foreign aid, it is ridiculous to even think of rejecting foreign donations.( An example is a proud rejection by India to the foreign offers for foreign donations for recovery from tsunami disaster. This is a loud and clear message to the world that now India is global force to reckon with.) Having said that, we may not have a choice to settle this crisis otherwise. Also, foreign mediations (much of it would be interventions by big bosses) may not bear any fruits; been there, seen that! So while carefully analysing the broader aspects of foreign interventions in our poor country, other home-grown strategies should be given top priorities. Always keep your problems at home inside your house, as far as possible!