BOOK REVIEW: Nepal's India Policy. Edited by Dhruba Kumar. CNAS, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal, 1992

This article provides a scholarly review of the edited volume "Nepal's India Policy," published by the Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS). The reviewer assesses the book's contribution to the understanding of the complex and asymmetric relationship between Nepal and its southern neighbor, India. The review summarizes the key themes and arguments presented by the various contributors to the volume, which likely cover historical, political, economic, and security dimensions of the relationship. The reviewer evaluates the analytical quality of the chapters, the coherence of the edited collection, and its overall significance for the field of South Asian studies and foreign policy analysis. The review concludes by offering a final judgment on the book's strengths and weaknesses and its value to scholars and policymakers interested in the intricacies of Nepal's foreign policy.

This article is a critical review of the edited volume, "Nepal's India Policy," a significant publication from Nepal's premier research institute, CNAS. The review begins by highlighting the central and unavoidable importance of India in any discussion of Nepali foreign policy, thus establishing the relevance of the book. It then proceeds to summarize the main sections and arguments of the volume. The reviewer likely discusses the book's historical analysis of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which has been the bedrock of the relationship. The review would also engage with the chapters on economic relations, focusing on the critical issues of trade, transit, and Nepal's heavy dependence on the Indian economy. The security dimension, including India's perception of the Himalayas as its northern security frontier, would also be a key theme of the review. The reviewer would offer a balanced critique of the volume, praising its in-depth, locally-grounded perspectives while perhaps pointing to any gaps in its coverage or analytical inconsistencies among the different chapters. The review would conclude by affirming the book's importance as a key resource for understanding the complexities of navigating a relationship with a much larger and more powerful neighbor, a classic small state-big state dilemma, from the perspective of the smaller state itself.