Mixed Opinions

A good chance to clean up some loose ends. -=blogdai

The World Bank. Recently announced the suspension of some 70 million in aid to Nepal. blogdai says: three cheers! World Bank means big, culturally insensitive projects with little concern for human and environmental impact. Mostly, they screw up the developing world by building dams. Their disastrous 121 million dollar failure with the Arun III hydro project in Eastern Nepal is a classic World Bank fiasco. http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/v3i1/wldbnk31.htm Seems they, and our wonderful former Nepali g0vernment, failed to adequately address and compensate Nepalis who's land was snatched-up to make room for the dam. Big dams don't work in Nepal. Melamchi, Kali Gandaki and others have all had their share of monumental problems. Does this bother the World Bank? Not a chance. Good riddance. Blogdai has a soft spot in the heart for one Deborah Moore; formerly of the World Council of Dams. She is a tireless crusader on water issues and frequently butts-heads with the World Bank. Google her, she's the real deal.

The Political Parties: Well now, Monday is rolling around in Kathmandu and our intrepid, supressed political parties are planning a protest. They are now touting their new "arrest policy" which means they'd rather go to jail for effect rather than actually compromise or negotiate. Is this the best that they can do? Seems that all they want to do is garner that simplistic, knee-jerk world condemnation of the takeover rather than work out a plan. Hint to the parties: The Western media is tiring of the Nepal story so stop with the drama.

We are also hearing reports of former government officials being indicted for conspiring with the Maoists and for Murder. Blogdai and other Kathmanduites are not surprised. These people, throughout the years, have shown that they would ally with anyone or anything that would give them even the slighted political leverage.

Ramesh Nath Pandey: Your inexperience is showing. What did you think would happen during your India visit? India is still posturing for the high ground - it's all they know. Lot's of rhetoric while Pakistan and China are taking care of business on the ground. Sorry mister minister, you've been used. You walked right into that public snubbing.

Anonymous comments: We at nepalnow.blogspot.com ask for contributions from any and everyone. We are more concerned about the strength of ideas than the resume' behind them. Some might feel compromised and inhibited if they were forced to leave a verifyiable name as a source. We prefer to hear your ideas in their fullness and with no self-censoring. So, post away - use a fake name if you'd like - and keep the ideas strong, thoughtful and reasonably lucid.

Predictions: A lot of you say "who the hell does this blogdai think he/she is" when we make predictions on this blog. Blogdai says: read all the postings and all the threads and you will see that we are trying to raise our level of play (RYLOP) past the lazy blathering of the Western media. Keep track. We've been on target and ahead of the media in our predictions. Some of our correct predictions include:

1. Pakistan will step up and sell arms to Nepal (read below)

2. Political parties have been, and will again seek alliance with the Maoists (here and below)

3. China will play an increased role (read below. Also, China's foreign minister announced a
Nepal visit for this April. Knowing the Chinese, look for this to occur around April 1: another
prediction)

So, for fun, let's make more predictions:

1. India will relent on their arms ban to Nepal.

2. The political parties, sensing futility, will compromise and allow the King something like
a "grace" period to enact reforms.

3. The U.S. will never formally ban weapons sales or aid to Nepal.

4. The political parties will formally align with the Maoists. (No, really, they will)

5. (A stretch) India will back-down on Kashmir negotiations with Pakistan over their
weapons deal with Nepal.

-=blogdai