By Nirmal P. Acharya
On March 10, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran issued a joint statement, saying that in response to the initiative of the Chinese President, Saudi and Iranian delegations held successful talks in Beijing and will restore diplomatic relations between the two sides. The Wall Street Journal was quick to comment that the Beijing agreement has shaken up the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
This marks a major advance of Beijing’s influence into the Middle East and a dim retreat of Washington’s. In Nepal, however, Washington’s influence seems to be bucking the trend.
Senior officials from Washington have been visiting Kathmandu frequently recently. Victoria Nuland, Samantha Power, Afreen Akhter, and the list goes on. As a result, Nepal’s politics have been convulsed once again.
Washington came all the way to Nepal and made sure to send gifts to Nepal. These gifts are not only MCC but also its philosophy and its system. We have foolishly adopted the Washington model of politics, resulting in more than two dozen governments over the past decade. It’s hard to see what our government does all year round except for elections and reshuffles.
In short, the more often Washington visits Kathmandu, the more uneasy I get. The game between China and the US has become increasingly fierce and has reached a point of tension. Except for some politicians who pretend not to know it, everyone knows that Washington is coming against China and using Nepalese territory for anti-China activities. Therefore, we need to send gifts like the MCC back to Washington.
Not governed by Nepal, not audited by Nepal, not subjected to Nepali law, the MCC is not a gift to Nepal at all. It is a gift from Washington to itself. There is no reason for this gift to be in Nepal. Please take the MCC home, Washington.
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