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Paul Staniland is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He is non-resident scholar, South Asia Program Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talked with him about US South Asia policy, particularly focusing on Nepal. 

How do you see the broader US South Asia policy?

The US is aiming to align with India, reduce or manage Chinese influence in the smaller states of South Asia, and access the rapidly growing markets in the region. It keeps an eye on Pakistan, which is a source of concern regarding potential escalation from tensions with India and terrorism, but has clearly downgraded that relationship compared to the post-9/11 period.

It has been two years since the Joe Biden administration came up with the Indo-Pacific Strategy, how is it playing out in South Asia?

The Indo-Pacific Strategy seems to have been reasonably well-received in India as a signal of US commitment to competing in Asia. It's less popular and desirable in other states in the region, which are quite worried about getting sucked into US-China rivalry and have interests that often do not tightly align with that competition. 

What are the key US interests in South Asia?

As noted above, the US wants to keep China out, work with India, and have access to markets in the region.

How does the US see China’s growing interests in this region?

Chinese influence is certainly an area of concern as it is seen as rapidly expanding and increasingly able to deploy massive resources, though my sense is that there may be a growing recognition that it has been very difficult for China to convert its economic power into enduring political influence. The CPEC in Pakistan has not been especially successful, BRI is often contested in ‘host’ countries (like Nepal), and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis was not prevented or solved by Chinese involvement.

What are the latest trends in US-Nepal relations?

The US is definitely interested in Nepal as a case where it can provide economic and governance benefits in the context of growing Chinese influence. That said, I don’t think the US public or most of its policy community think about Nepal a lot as a major site of strategic competition—there has been an American presence since the 1950s, so it’s not wholly new. Nevertheless, there is a growing interest and some learning about how to best approach Nepal; for instance, it’s been noticeable that the US has tempered the use of Indo-Pacific Strategy framing around Nepal and is ideally hoping to provide opportunities that complement, rather than necessarily direct take on or denounce, Chinese efforts. 

What are key US interests in Nepal? 

The US wants a growing, democratic Nepal that is on reasonably cordial terms with the US and India.

Manoj Acharya is the founder principal of Kathmandu Global School. He was awarded Best Principal (2017) by National Power News. “Kathmandu Global School is a friendly, vibrant, community-minded school, whose decisions always prioritize students,” he says. “We are excited about all the things we will do and learn this year.” Here are the excerpts from an interview with Acharya.

Why should parents choose Kathmandu Global School for their child’s education?

At Kathmandu Global School, we offer a comprehensive educational experience that goes beyond academics. Our curriculum is designed to foster critical thinking, creativity, and global awareness, preparing students for success in an increasingly interconnected world. With a dedicated faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and a focus on holistic development, parents can trust that their child will receive a well-rounded education that equips them with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a competitive world.

What initiatives has Kathmandu Global School undertaken to enhance the educational standards in the community?

Kathmandu Global School is committed to contributing positively to the educational landscape of our community. We regularly organize teacher training programs, workshops, and seminars to enhance the professional development of educators not only within our school but also in collaboration with other educational institutions in the region. We actively engage in community outreach programs, such as free tutoring sessions, educational fairs, and awareness campaigns, to promote the importance of education and support students from all backgrounds.

How can private and community schools work together to address the challenges in the education sector?

Private and community schools can play complementary roles in addressing the challenges in the education sector by fostering collaboration and sharing resources. By leveraging each other’s strengths and expertise, these institutions can create innovative solutions to common challenges such as access to quality education, teacher training, and infrastructure development. Through partnerships, mentorship programs, and joint initiatives, private and community schools can work hand-in-hand to ensure that every child has access to high-quality education.

What strategies can Kathmandu Global School implement to ensure its competitiveness in the international educational landscape?

Kathmandu Global School is committed to continuous improvement and innovation. We prioritize staying abreast of global educational trends and practices, integrating international perspectives into our curriculum, and fostering partnerships with international educational organizations. We offer language immersion programs, exchange opportunities, and participation in international competitions to provide our students with global exposure and perspectives. By embracing innovation, collaboration, and a forward-thinking approach, we are confident in our ability to prepare our students to excel on the international stage.

Monish Tourangbam is a New Delhi-based strategic analyst and the honorary director at the Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies (KIIPS). He holds an MPhil and PhD from the School of International Studies, JNU, and has taught geopolitics and international relations at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, and Amity University, Noida. Tourangbam has also been a visiting faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, a SAV visiting fellow at the Stimson Center, Washington DC, and associate editor of the Indian Foreign Affairs Journal. He has been an Indian delegate at a number of high-level Track II Dialogues and regular commentator on US foreign policy, India’s foreign policy, geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific and South Asia besides other pertinent issues of international relations. Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talked with him about the Indo-Pacific Strategy and its implications for Nepal. 

How do you see the implementation of US Indo-Pacific Strategy 2022 in the Indo-Pacific region?

The US Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) more than anything else affirms the prevailing view in America’s policymaking community that the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) comprehensive rise is the most prominent strategic challenge to US primacy in the international system, and more particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. “The PRC’s coercion and aggression spans the globe, but it is most acute in the Indo-Pacific,” the IPS says. Although it does mention a host of global issues including the pandemic and the climate change that require renewed American leadership, the focus of this strategy on the strategic challenges posed by China is quite apparent: That the United States needs to face such challenges squarely, and build a “free and open Indo-Pacific that is more connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient,” in concert with allies and like-minded partners is what this strategy contends. The economic, political, and military balance that was heavily tilted toward the United States and its allies in the post-Cold War era has been rapidly shifting to a much more complex environment. 

The IPS is emphatic in pronouncing the Indo-Pacific region as the most consequential in terms of its impact on the world, and one that will require the US to deliver more than ever. The cornerstone of implementing the IPS quite clearly lies in how well the United States is able to diagnose the 21st century problems that the region confronts, and devising the solutions to the range of issues traversing the military plus non-military areas.

How do South Asian countries perceive the IPS and how are they responding to it?

It will not be easy to put all the South Asian countries under one particular bracket or category, while assessing how they perceive and respond to the US Indo-Pacific Strategy. Despite being grouped under South Asia, the countries in this region possess peculiar geography and interests that shape their perceptions and responses to the IPS. Each country depending on their maritime or continental features, and their terms of engagements with the US perceive and navigate the politics, economics and security of the evolving Indo-Pacific region. For instance, the imperatives of development and security in each of the eight South Asian countries shape their strategic behaviors as well as tactical responses. 

Quite evidently, the exponential growth that India’s partnership with the US has seen in the last two decades, despite its own history of “estrangement”, is something that continues to and will overwhelmingly shape how South Asia features in US Indo-Pacific Strategy. Moreover, in deciphering the perception and responses of South Asian countries to the IPS, the China factor will loom large, because of Beijing’s growing strategic footprints in the region. While the US-China strategic competition is an overriding factor in the Indo-Pacific strategy and the military implications are quite apparent, the IPS is much more comprehensive in its scope and its non-military dimensions that are development oriented or human-centric are equally significant for the South Asian countries.

What are its implications in this region?

The looming shadow of the Indo-Pacific increasingly hovers over the politics, economics and security of South Asia. Whether South Asia occupies a pivotal position in terms of shaping the contours of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy can still be debated. The way Washington perceives the Indo-Pacific as a geopolitical region, and implements it still reflects a bias towards the maritime aspects, more particularly the Western Pacific, and the contestation with China’s growing ambitions in the South China Sea plus the Taiwan Straits. 

Moreover, South Asia does not have any treaty ally of the United States, and hence its security commitments in the region are quite different compared to those in the East Asian theater. The withdrawal from Afghanistan portends a new era in Washington’s South Asia strategy, that calls for greater resources devoted and policy attention to build an “open and free” Indo-Pacific amidst challenges posed by an assertive China. The downward slide in India-China relations, the growing US-China rivalry and the burgeoning India-US strategic cooperation, are leading to a complex competition-cooperation-confrontation dynamic affecting the dependent and independent agency of South Asian countries. 

In South Asia, the US is a distant power in terms of geography but not as far as strategy and influence are concerned. While South Asian countries seem to hedge their bets between India and China, the role of the US cannot be discounted. The US’ strategy in South Asia has largely focused on the triangular axis of India, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but its Indo-Pacific strategy has been widening the menu of military and non-military engagements in the subcontinent. As far as hardcore security implications are concerned, how South Asian countries perceive and respond to America’s evolving concept of integrated deterrence will be significant.

Compared to other countries, there has been much discussion in Nepal about IPS, how do you see such debates in Kathmandu?

The evolving debates in Nepal on the IPS and the Indo-Pacific as a geopolitical plus geo-economic region expectedly reflects the permutations and combinations resulting from Nepal’s own perception of its core development needs and security imperatives. With the Nepalese parliament ratifying the US engineered Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Beijing smells a brewing concoction of American infringement on its growing strategic footprints in South Asia and the Himalayas, in particular. While the Himalayas witnessed US-China power tussle during the Cold War as well, it has traversed a long way from ideological rivalry through rapprochement to the new great power competition of the 21st century. 

Lately, the US is attempting to re-engage a mountainous Nepal in need for development aid and assistance, at a time when a proximate power like China looms large with its plans under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). At the same time, Nepal by dint of history and geography cannot ignore the overwhelming influence of India. The varying political views within Nepal and the pressures from Washington and Beijing witnessed during the negotiations leading to the ratification of the MCC is symptomatic of US-China competition trends witnessed across the larger Indo-Pacific region. How Kathmandu maximizes its gains and minimizes its losses amidst the Indo-Pacific geopolitics and geo-economics will be the test of Nepal’s diplomatic toolkit and the practice of its relative autonomy.

Nehru Joshi is the program coordinator at Genius IB World School. ApEx talked to her about Nepal’s education system, students and teaching-learning process and more. 

How can we create a more children-friendly learning environment in schools? 

The notion of education has significantly evolved beyond the traditional confines of textbook-centric learning. We're currently witnessing an exhilarating transformation phase within our education system, where learning extends far beyond the pages of textbooks and four walls of a classroom. Today’s education models are child-friendly and immersive, focusing on holistic development, hands-on experiences, and real-world application. We’re integrating technology into our classrooms, not just for the sake of using gadgets, but to make learning interactive, engaging, and relevant. We focus increasingly on experiential learning—taking learners outside the traditional settings to learn through experience.This approach encourages creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, ensuring learners are not merely carrying book bags, but are actively engaging with the knowledge and skills necessary for the 21st century. It’s an exciting time for education, as we ensure that every child feels supported, challenged, and inspired in our education system, not just academically but in all facets of their development.

What are the ways to make our education more practical oriented? 

Integrating hands-on learning experiences, applying real-world contexts, and fostering interdisciplinary learning within educational curriculums are crucial steps toward making education more applicable and engaging for learners. Such an approach not only cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving skills but also encourages learners to analyze and understand concepts deeply. By adopting inquiry-based learning, we can encourage learners to examine context from both local and global perspectives. This engagement helps become a lifelong learner and fosters an international-mindedness. This educational method facilitates engagement with complex issues beyond traditional subject boundaries, potentially improving academic outcomes.

 There are views that private sector education is too expensive and so they should be converted into public schools. What are your views on it? 

Private-sector education, while often associated with higher costs, plays a crucial role in the broader educational ecosystem. One of the core strengths of private schools is their ability to provide highly personalized education. This is due in part to smaller class sizes, which enable teachers to engage more deeply with each student, understanding their unique learning styles, challenges, and strengths. Moreover, private schools often have the flexibility to adopt innovative teaching methods and pedagogies. This agility allows them to adapt to the latest educational research and technological advancements, offering students a relevant and forward-thinking education that prepares them for the complexities of the modern world. In addition, the diverse extracurricular programs contribute to the holistic development of students. These programs, ranging from performing arts, mental and emotional wellness, visual arts, design and technology to sports and beyond, are essential for nurturing well-rounded individuals who excel not only in their academic pursuits but also in their personal growth.

In Nepal, where education is a pivotal element for development, the partnership between private and public schools can be particularly impactful. Private institutions can bring in their expertise in curriculum development, teacher training, and the integration of technology in education. This synergy can help uplift the overall quality of education, making it more accessible and inclusive. Such partnerships can serve as a bridge, ensuring that the advantages of private education are not confined to those who can afford it but are extended to a wider population, ultimately strengthening Nepal’s education system.

Do you agree that SEE should be canceled? 

My perspective is that while standardized assessments have their place in evaluating certain academic achievements, they shouldn’t be the sole measure of a child’s progress or potential. The real essence of education extends far beyond what can be captured in a standardized test. We’re preparing students not just academically but for life, which involves a myriad of skills and attributes that standardized tests simply cannot assess. Instead, we should prioritize ongoing assessment strategies that monitor a child’s holistic development, including language proficiency, interpersonal skills, creative thinking, critical thinking, emotional skills, and problem-solving abilities. This approach recognizes and nurtures the diverse strengths and challenges of each child, offering continuous feedback for timely support. It respects the fact that learning is a process, not a destination, and that each child progresses through this process at their own pace and in their own way. Unlike standardized tests that capture a mere snapshot, ongoing assessments provide a comprehensive view of a child’s capabilities, fostering well-rounded individuals ready to face complexities with confidence.

There are preparations to keep school education under the local government, is it justifiable?

In my opinion, decentralizing education to keep it under local government control can significantly contribute to country development and economic growth by tailoring education to local needs, cultures, and economic conditions. This approach allows for more agile implementation of educational programs, closer quality assurance, and more effective monitoring of outcomes. By involving local communities in decision-making, it not only enhances democracy in education but also ensures that educational strategies are more aligned with local priorities, which can lead to increased relevance and effectiveness of education. This relevance can drive better educational outcomes, leading to the local economic context, thereby stimulating economic growth. Moreover, local control can foster innovation in teaching methods and curriculum design, as local authorities can more easily experiment and innovate based on immediate feedback and results, contributing further to the overall development of the country’s education system.