Let?s not forget that the Maoists are waging a war to reverse the democratic process initiated 14 years ago. "Didn?t successive governments of Koirala, Deuba, Thapa and Chand already reverse this? We did not need the Maoists to reverse it. In the first place, the Maoists would not have existed in their current form and shape had the governments worked to look after the needs of the people, just the way they looked after the needs of RNA top brass." Democratic governments are vulnerable to this form of warfare. Infused with the ideology of individual and political liberty, the state may be unaware of the threat, reluctant to acknowledge it and restrained from adopting prompt and effective measures to counter it. "The state being unaware is no excuse. How long can the state live in the state of denial at the cost of common people? The killing and making people disappear should not be the prompt and effective measure the government should take. Any student of policy science will tell you that it is going to be counter productive in the long run." The decisive factor in any insurgency is the support of the people. "You are absolutely right. I am afraid the government has lost the confidence of the people; it only has the wrath of the people. The people gave government after government ample chances and they hopelessly failed. How can one expect the support from the people when there is rampant corruption going on in high places and nothing being done to bring them to the justice?" The Royal Nepali Army firmly believes that resolving the Maoist problem through negotiations and socio-economic development rather than application of military force, is a more sensible way of resolving differences. "I agree cent percent with you, Jarsap. However, the credibility is no longer there. There is a big difference in the words and actual action. Prove it by action, not by mere words. Believing is one thing and doing is another. In the last several months, even those fence sitters have started taking the side of the Maoists after seeing the atrocities committed by the RNA." War usually means that other humane alternatives to resolve differences have failed. "In our case, I do not think we have yet exhausted the alternatives. What we have exhausted is the will to find alternatives and gracefully accept those alternatives. What is needed is a will to sit across the table is necessary to resolve the difference, and it is incumbent on the government to pursue this will, both in letter and spirit, in the interest of all Nepalis." A war requires the mobilisation of a moral consensus to legitimise the use to military force. That consensus should be part of a national strategy in political and military terms, and if it fails, the war is lost. "True. Let us not loose this war. Remember I said the losers are all Nepalis. When you talk of national strategy, it should not be created in the barracks or at the Narayanhity. It should involve the real and earnest desire of the people. Only by knowing the pulse of the people the real strategy can be created." It is clear that the government and the people must either give full support to the security forces, or find an alternative method to pressurise the insurgents to adopt a path of negotiations. Half-hearted support will only prolong the nation?s agony. "Wrong. Wrong. You cannot ask the people to support killings by the government. The dangerous alternative method the government is using to pressurize the people will only turn them against the government. The government must understand why the people are not with the government." The Royal Nepali Army and the Unified Command are improving coordination and are performing more professionally. There may be incidents committed intentionally or otherwise that violate human rights, but such incidents are likely to occur in any insurgency. "The word LIKELY has no meaning from what we have seen. If this is the attitude of a general, one can see why the support from the people cannot be expected." Individuals commit the acts while the parent institution remains accountable and must investigate the violations and take due disciplinary action and disseminate that information to the public. At the same time, the media and human rights organisations must also pressure the Maoists to abide by the same principles lest they be accused of bias. "Yes, the RNA and police must take the responsibility first. It is an insurgency and the government has the responsibility to create an environment for a talk." to be continued....