September 9, 2005

The Maoist revolution is getting increasingly nasty. It's one thing for the Maoists to declare they are in charge of vast rural areas where the government hardly exists anyway. But when the Maoists try to practice their version of Stalinist discipline and group-think on Nepalese, many of the subjects resist. The hundreds of thousands of retired soldiers (from Indian and British service), are a particularly difficult problem for the Maoists. Many localities form their own defense forces, and dare the Maoists to try taking over. The Maoists usually decline, as their fighters are reluctant to fight the people they are told are just waiting for "liberation." Many Nepalese are eager for political and economic change, but few can agree on how to go about it.