Paradise Lost?

Ali Riaz is professor and chair of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University.Subho Basu is associate professor in the Department of History at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: Understanding the Crisis in Nepal and State FailureChapter 2 State Formation and Political Transition in Nepal (1768-2005)Chapter 3 Ethnicity and Politics in NepalChapter 4 Economic Crisis and the Lack of Performance LegitimacyChapter 5 Maoist Insurgency and the Militarization of the Nepali Polity and SocietyChapter 6 Popular Uprising 2006Chapter 7 Problems and ProspectsChapter 8 Appendix 1: Nepal: The FundamentalsChapter 9 Appendix 2: Memorandum from UNPF to the Prime MinisterChapter 10 Appendix 3: The Letter of Understanding Between the 7-party Coalition and the Communist Party of NepalChapter 11 Appendix 4: The Eight-point Agreement between SPA and the CPN (M)

While Nepal is the oldest nation-state in South Asia, 'nation-building' is very much a work-in-progress. In the modern era which began in Nepal with the demise of the Rana shogunate in 1950, the country remained under an autocratic kingship till 1990. A 12-year democratic interlude was marked by a violent Maoist insurgency and followed by yet another royal adventure, which was finally crushed by the People's Movement of April 2006. The task of 'nation-building' has now resumed , with the goal of restructuring the state through a constituent assembly and a new constitution. Any place is complex, but Nepal is perhaps less understood than others in the South Asian neighbourhood. I believe that this work by Ali Riaz and Subho Basu will help in the understanding of a country that has seen the compressed political evolution over a few years that other countries of South Asia realised over decades. Only the analysis of Nepal as a thus-far failed state can make it a successful one.