Madan Bhandari's conception of Nepal's foreign policy: Thoughts on protecting national interests and conducting foreign relations

Abstract

The ideas and opinions of the key leaders of major political parties play the crucial role in the determination of the foreign policy of any country. Madan Bhandari's thoughts mainly expressed in his noteworthy work of the people's multiparty democracy and his role in the protection of national interests is widely discussed. This dissertation has aimed to put light on the foreign policy prescription of Bhandari and his thoughts on protecting national interests and fostering cooperation and collaboration at the international level. The research work has followed the qualitative research methodology under which descriptive or elaborative research method was used to collect and interpret data. The dissertation has collected data from the official political documents, speeches, interviews, articles and books. Document analysis method has been employed for the analysis of the data. The research findings indicate that Bhandari recommended Nepal's foreign policy to be independent, non-aligned and progressive while being proactive and unfearful in the protection of its national interests. He advocated for the establishment and strengthening of the relations with all the countries on the basis of equality, mutual respect and independence. However, he has been criticized as an ultra-nationalist in his foreign policy perceptions. The research has concluded that Madan Bhandari was a staunch nationalist who believed in the "Pro-Nepal" policies without tilting towards any of the two large neighbors, India and China. He was the advocate of the practice of pragmatism at the international level. He favored the effective cooperation and execution of the policies of non-alignment and Panchasheel rather than using them just as rhetoric.

Keywords: Madan Bhandari, Foreign Policy, Nepal, People's Multiparty Democracy