International environmental security challenges and Nepal's foreign policy and diplomacy

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the interconnectedness between international environmental security challenges and Nepal’s foreign policy and diplomacy. The study has employed a qualitative research method. A deductive approach of research has been applied to explore the solution. This study examines the realist theory, liberalist theory, constructivist theory, and green theory to explain the international environmental security challenges and Nepal’s foreign policy and diplomacy. The global environmental framework and its interrelationship with regional and national environmental institutions have been analyzed holistically based on research question one and objective one, the identification of the global, regional, and national environmental challenges has been performed. The study examines whether the international, regional and national environmental security initiatives/efforts are sufficient to address international, regional, and national environmental challenges or not. The study concludes that hundreds of international, regional, and national environmental security challenges to address/manage the international, regional, and national environmental challenges since the 1970s. But the industrialized and developed powerful states, have still been taking the environmental security issues as their ‘bargaining tools’ for the ‘power balance’ and power reserve. So, some of the powerful countries have not signed the international legal instruments regarding environmental security challenges., The least developed states like Nepal have been facing the international environmental challenges that relate to the research question number two and objective number two. The study analyzes whether Nepal’s foreign policy and diplomacy are effective to address the international, regional, and national environmental security challenges. In addition, the study concludes that there are both strong (positive) and weak (negative) aspects of the effectiveness of Nepal’s foreign policy and diplomacy to address the global, regional, and national security challenges. The study also analyzed the other theories the neo-classical economic perspective, liberal institutionalist theory, and neo-liberal institutionalist theory as well. It fails t address the environmental security problems of the least developed countries like Nepal. Therefore, least developed countries, like Nepal have to strengthen their national interest in the light of artistic diplomacy for making effective foreign policy to address the international, regional, and national environmental challenges properly. Keywords: International Environmental Security, Climate Change, International Legal Instruments, Nepal’s foreign policy, diplomacy, National Interest