The Geopolitics of Survival: Neorealism and Dependency in Nepalese Foreign Policy
The paper examines the external aspects of Nepalese politics within a nest of two powerful world neighbors, India and China, and one anti-neighbor, America. With multipolar rivalry growing, the party must explain that “buffer states” can protect themselves on their own. This study’s findings suggest the significance of probing into inner social inclusive processes, foreign interventions (MCC or BRI), and public stability with respect to governmental control over domestic governance. This study is grounded in a neorealist theoretical framework. This study is grounded in a neorealist theoretical framework. It uses qualitative methods and a process-tracing research design to analyze primary government documents and secondary geopolitical data systematically. Nepal is not cursed, but the fundamental limitation of its polity is that it still walks a tightrope around regulating external influence. It leads to institutional frailty and a “pendulum diplomacy. This paper argues that Nepal needs to focus on concessions externally, whilst consolidating unity from within and strengthening institutional resilience. Himalayan geopolitics is all about sovereign decision-making and sustainable democracy, the foundations of sovereignty in an age of dangerously kaleidoscopic global conflagrations.
Keywords: Himalayan geopolitics, infrastructure diplomacy, neorealism, pendulum diplomacy, strategic autonomy
