“New rules or a game without rules?” asked Russian President Vladimir Putin almost a decade ago, questioning the US-led unipolar international order. The Western world mostly ignored Putin’s remark. In 2014, Russia sent its military into Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. In 2022, it declared an all-out war against the same country.

The West has now retreated from the global stage thanks to its expensive war on terror, economic depression, and a rise of populism and nationalist politics. These in turn have shrunk its military advantages.

As Ukraine became vulnerable, Russia questioned its statehood and accused NATO of jeopardizing Russia’s security. It also inexplicably accused Ukraine of committing genocide against its Russian-speaking citizens. So, on February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine.

It is worth recalling that Ukraine was the world’s third largest nuclear power at the end of the Cold War—until it was denuclearized under bilateral and multilateral treaties and conventions. Its denuclearization was frequently heralded as a victory for arms control, as Ukraine was portrayed as a model in a world rife with potential nuclear powers.

But the security and territorial guarantees that came with the disarmament proved to a mirage. In reality, no force could prevent the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 or Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine at present. This is why every middle-income country in the world aspires to possess nuclear warheads to deter potential aggressors: denuclearization and security arrangements just don’t work. Now, the nuclear dilemma is once again haunting Ukraine and other geo-strategically vulnerable states around the world.

Nepal’s vulnerable geo-strategic location has always endangered its very existence. Both India and China seemingly want to exploit the country to gain geo-strategic advantage.

The Cold War-era diplomacy of great powers centered on enticing weaker states with infrastructure projects—national highways, industries, university buildings, government secretariat buildings, student exchange programs, scholarships, etc. That kind of diplomacy had, to an extent, proved worthwhile for Nepal. But then any development assistance for Nepal was always contingent on serving the larger strategic interests of big foreign powers.

British India saw Nepal as a buffer against Imperial China. Independent India pursued the same British-era strategic policy, which continues to this day. China wants a strictly neutral Nepal. The US and the West, meanwhile, need Nepal to check the ambitions of a rising China.

Things are going from bad to worse. The Americans are pushing hard on the MCC compact and the Chinese are doing the same with the BRI, suggesting neither side is ready to give an inch. They will also ask Nepal to increasingly do their bidding. 

Gradually, Nepal is being obliged to ratify agreements, development protocols and strategic assurances that ultimately weaken its sovereignty, independence and autonomy. A strategically weak Nepal can hardly decide on its own, a fate similar to Ukraine’s.

The country has had to feel the burnt of the recent uptick in US-China rivalry. The relations with India also remain dicey. Nepal as a poor and unarmed country is left without choice—it has no option but to explore a safe strategic space from which it can rally for global peace, vocalize its neutrality and advocate non-alignment.

We need to be well aware of any potential strategic miscalculations while dealing with great powers—for instance, Ukraine had virtually signed its suicide note by agreeing to disarm.

The contracts and compacts Nepal signs can trap it geopolitically under the guise of development. Nepal must learn from the fate of Karna who surrendered his Kavacha and Kundala—body armors and earrings—to Lord Indra, and was then slaughtered in the battlefield.

Nepal’s Kavacha and Kundala are neutrality, advocacy for peace and non-alignment. We should not make the mistake of surrendering these attributes that have guaranteed our sovereignty and independence for so long.

The author is a PhD Scholar at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy (DIRD), Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Do you dread taking feedback? I know I have for the longest time, even from those who mean well to me. Thoughts like, “Malai ta yeti pani aaudaina!”, “Maile jahile kaam bigarchu” would repeatedly play in my head even though the inputs I received were most needed for my growth. It took me a long time to overcome this pattern as I went through inner conflict when receiving feedback.

As I look back, most of the remarks directed my way during school on my assignments or exam tests- either came in the form of praise or insult. There was no in-between. My actions either made me ‘Gyaani baccha’ or a ‘Kaam nalagne manche’ at home. In my relationships, when I met other people’s expectations, I became ‘Ramro’, ‘Maya garne’ or ‘Care garne manche’. But the moment I thought about myself, I got greeted with comments like, “You only think about yourself”.

Over the years, I internalized the criticism and labeling from others as my internal voice. So much so that even when the people who wished well for me gave me any feedback—it became a reason for me to look down upon myself. Of course, it didn’t serve me but it took me a long time to realize this.

No one is to blame. My parents, teachers, friends, acquaintances, loved ones—they didn’t know there was a better way out, neither did I. They treated me the way others treated them. They considered normal, what they found normal around them. Sadly, I absorbed this black-and-white labeling from the people around me. So, even when no one would be around to label my actions good or bad, I started doing so on my own without any external prescription.

Let’s take an example. I once accepted a client’s renewed proposal without first checking-in with my supervisor. The next day when I informed my supervisor about it, he made me aware of how my actions had led to a loss of revenue for the organization.

The moment I received that feedback, I had judgmental thoughts like, “I can’t do anything right!” But eventually, I started looking for the deeper messages behind those judgments. I made an effort to transform them into feelings and needs.

How was I feeling?

Despite trying to help and contribute, my actions fueled a misunderstanding. I felt angry, hopeless, and sad.

What were the underlying messages behind my feelings?

The unpleasant feelings of anger, hopelessness, and sadness came from my unmet needs of being effective in what I do and remaining accountable to my team.

It’s easier to keep labeling, blaming, and criticizing when things go wrong. We either exert this blame outside or take it in. In my case, I blamed myself.

The good news is that self-awareness can help us look beyond the surface of judgments. In any situation, if I know how I am feeling and what my needs/expectations are, I can ask myself: What options do I have? It can help me think of choices that I can make to become a better version of myself.

So, what options did I have

Since I wanted to be effective in what I do and remain accountable to my team, I consulted my supervisor and talked to the client. I informed the client about the problem and recommended a possible solution, which thankfully eventually worked out.

I questioned myself many times why I couldn’t take feedback constructively. Why did I perceive it as an attack? (It wasn’t meant to be an attack on me). I continually reflected and found out that I lacked awareness about my deeper feelings, needs, and choices/actions that would help me take the feedback constructively and work on it.

Instead of bloating myself with pride when I did something well and ripping myself of my worth if I failed at something else, I started connecting with my feelings, needs, and actions. This practice helped me work on my relationship with myself and helped improve how I took feedback. The next time you receive feedback, ask yourself the same set of questions: What are your feelings? What are the underlying messages behind those feelings? What are your options?

The author is Linchpin at My Emotions Matter, an education initiative that helps individuals and teams learn the mindset and skills of Emotional Intelligence. Learn more at myemotionsmatter.com.

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