The government born out of the revolution is going through a bit of a reality check, says Singh
KATHMANDU, AUGUST 11
With Prime Minister Balendra Shah's shift in diplomatic strategy, analysts have lauded his efforts to put right something he could have prioritised from the start of his tenure.
Prominent political analysts and activists have observed that realistic geopolitical assessment and traditional private diplomatic engagement are gradually shaping the foreign policy orientation of the government led by PM Shah.
Discussing the complexities of international power dynamics, Prashant Singh, political activist and spokesperson for the Nagarik Pratham movement, pointed out that formal equality between sovereign states often contrasts with the realities of realpolitik.
According to Singh, the administration is increasingly coming to grips with Nepal's positioning in the international arena. "The new government born out of the revolution is going through a bit of a reality check," he said.
"A sense of realism is creeping in for the Prime Minister's team as they face the question of where Nepal actually stands in the region and in global geopolitics. Diplomacy, in its essence, is a private conversation, achieved through quiet, direct engagement, not public gestures. This is a lesson that governing experience itself has taught this administration."
PM Shah had initially indicated that his primary focus would be domestic priorities - particularly good governance, corruption control and service delivery - and had limited his engagement with foreign diplomats to traditional rituals such as courtesy calls, formal meetings and photo opportunities. This was reflected in his decision not to meet some senior visiting foreign officials, including US Assistant Secretary of Defence S Paul Kapur and Special Envoy Sergio Gor, who is close to President Donald Trump, according to foreign affairs analysts.
However, his meetings yesterday with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors at Singha Durbar, along with signals that he will also engage with the American side, suggest the PM is rethinking his initial diplomatic strategy. Yesterday's meetings with both neighbouring ambassadors were the first of their kind since Shah took office on March 27.
According to Dr Pramod Jaiswal, research director at the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE), this reflects a growing understanding that personal engagement, signals and symbols matter in international relations. Despite their occasionally ceremonial appearance, courtesy meetings convey crucial political messages to investors and foreign governments.
"For a country like Nepal, whose development depends significantly on external investment, tourism, trade, infrastructure and development assistance, engagement at the highest political level is particularly important," he told The Himalayan Times.
Jaiswal added that Nepal's close and influential neighbours may have felt uneasy about the Prime Minister's Office's initially limited involvement. "The Shah government must actively engage India, China, the United States and other partners if it wants more investment, development assistance, market access, tourism and connectivity support," he said. "This does not require compromising his domestic priorities of good governance and corruption control. Good governance at home and active diplomacy abroad are not contradictory; they should complement each other."
He emphasised that the PM can continue to make corruption control, institutional reform and development his central domestic agenda while simultaneously maintaining regular engagement with key international partners. His recent meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda is a good example of how high-level engagement can directly support Nepal's development priorities.
Jaiswal also pointed to important diplomatic opportunities ahead. India, for instance, is hosting the BRICS Summit in September in Delhi, which could give PM Shah an important platform to engage not only with India but also with other major emerging economies and global leaders.
"Such platforms can be used to present Nepal's priorities and attract greater investment, tourism, trade, technology and development partnerships," Jaiswal said. "This shift is significant for the Shah government," Jaiswal continued. "While Nepal's Foreign Ministry has already been conducting diplomatic engagement, assurance and signalling from the Prime Minister's Office carry a different weight. Ultimately, I would not see this as a departure from PM Shah's original agenda, but rather as a maturing of his approach," he said.
