- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1015440.cms - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1015465.cms Engagement, not estrangement is the new Indian buzzword on Nepal. Having displayed its displeasure about the royal power grab in no uncertain terms, India now looks prepared to play the game of realpolitik. .. "The king has bitten off more than he can chew. There are no spectacular military results: Captains and majors are patrolling editorial offices, practicing censorship and managing the emergency." - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1014603.cms - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/131427/1/.html The 80,000-strong Royal Nepalese Army has remained faithful to its supreme commander...The top brass includes a majority from families loyal to the king....."quasi-military coup d'etat"......Analysts say the king may extend military control over the country of 27 million people by encouraging officers to move into civilian jobs as happened in Pakistan after General Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless coup in October 1999. .....reduced his backing to "the Royal Nepalese Army, a small band of conservative loyalists and a handful of opportunists......that strategy is risky because the army lacks the troop strength to put down the Maoists who are present in all 75 districts of the mountainous country and launch attacks and road blockades at will outside the capital. .....The Nepalese Army was founded in 1762 and today consists of 22 battalions and 44 independent companies. .....Military spending has increased dramatically under Gyanendra. The official army budget was just 9.2 billion rupees (130.8 million dollars) in the 2004-2005 financial year, compared to a real figure estimated of 295 million dollars in the CIA's World Factbook. .......Including funds spent on police, security accounts for nearly 15 percent of the 115.2 billion rupees annual budget, a Nepalese government official said...........With police, paramilitary and home ministry security forces, the government has 144,000 men to combat the Maoist insurgency, far below the ratio needed to counter insurgency given Nepal's terrain which runs from alpine to jungle, Sahni said. ..........The volunteer army recruits as needed drawing from a pool of young people eager for jobs in one of the 10 poorest countries in the world...."The military first of all is a good job and that ensures loyalty," he said. "Secondly there are perks like good housing, privileges for education and medical care and finally it reaches into every part of society giving respect." - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0502/S00108.htm It is high time that people stop fanaticizing about the possibility of a stable, democratic polity when every fundamental element required for a democratic setting has been systematically eroded by the Maoists and our flawed politicians.....Aside from our corrupt and ineffective politicians, who have given up their chances at redemption, the Maoists are the gravest threat to Nepal's sovereignty. I have been pasting a lot of these news pieces recently. I hope (1) they help readers save time, and (2) they provide for the background for the comments I do make. Kind of like with many political blogs.