The federal government of KP Oli says ‘diversifying’ away from India and China is among its key foreign policy priorities. After com­ing to office a year and a half ago, Oli sought to bring Nepal-India ties on an even keel. He has been as keen to involve the northern neighbor in Nepal’s development endeavors. Yet his government has tried to do much more. Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawa­li made a historical bilateral visit to Washington DC, in the clearest sign of Nepal’s wish to diversify away from its two neighbors. On the occasion, the Americans were quick to point out how Nepal had now become a key component of its (anti-China) Indo-Pacific Strategy. The Nepali side denied it was part of any such strategy. (Yet the steady flow of senior US officials to Nepal suggests the Americans are deter­mined to push it.)

 

But what do we make of the gov­ernment efforts to reach out to coun­tries like Costa Rica, Cambodia and Vietnam? Can these efforts be seen as part of the same diversification policy? What of PM Oli’s most recent trips to the UK and France? Many see no method to the government’s foreign policy ‘madness’. Former Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey says national interest rather than diversification should be at the heart of Nepal’s foreign policy.

 

Carnegie India’s Constantino Xavi­er disagrees. He lauds Oli for try­ing to reach out to countries other than big powers, which he thinks gives Nepal “more options”. But even if the intent of the government is right, it is failing in execution. During his UK and France visits, he could not even get an audience with their heads of state. Nor could any of the agendas he had taken along be finalized. It is also unclear what was achieved from his trips to Cambodia and Vietnam.

 

If Nepal stands for a non-perma­nent UN seat tomorrow, will Costa Rica or Cambodia support its candi­dacy? Will they speak out in Nepal’s favor in case of another blockade? Or are they ready to invest here? If the government has a clear goal, there is a lot to be gained from diversifying our foreign relations. But without such a clear goal, Nepal could over­stretch and its international standing might take a bad beating …