MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #08: 07 JULY 2022 Nepal: The Political Labyrinth Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. Abstract In Nepal, recent political debate has focused intensely upon acceptance of U.S. aid. On 20 June 2022, the Nepali Cabinet appeared to bow to demands that it repel the ostensible American military invasion represented by the State Partnership Programme […]
MANTRAYA INTERACTION#02: 02 SEPTEMBER 2019 Expert Speaks on Nepal Interaction with Dr. Thomas A. Marks – (Biplav group agitprop in Liwang (also, Libang), Rolpa, 25 February 2017. Photo Courtesy: Marks collection) Background When did you first visit Nepal? I first visited Nepal during the Vietnam War, so it was perhaps late 1974 or early 1975. […]
MANTRAYA MONOGRAPH#01: 08 APRIL 2019 Red on Red in Nepal: Maoist Insurgency Redux Thomas A Marks, Ph.D. – Abstract Recent political violence in Nepal by the radical Chand aka Biplav faction should not have come as a surprise. Behind the national self-congratulation concerning termination of the insurgency in November 2006, all Maoist factions have ignored […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #04: 14 JUNE 2017 A Preliminary Reconnaisance: Female Combatant Participation in Nepal’s Maoist People’s War – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Abstract Nearly sixteen years since 9-11, the quest to explain individual motivation for participation in “terrorism” has produced a body of gendered work of increasing sophistication. As illustrated by the case […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #03: 06 MAY 2017 The Thai Southern Insurgency: External view of the Way Forward – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Abstract As insurgency continues in the Thai Southern Border Provinces (SBP), external commentary, overwhelmingly in academia, remains the primary source of suggestions for how Bangkok should proceed. Discussion falls into three major […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #02: 28 JANUARY 2017 Enduring Dilemmas: Nepali Insurgency Redux – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Abstract Though touted as acceptance of political reintegration, the Nepali Maoist move to end the 1996-2006 overt hostilities was at the time tactical rather than strategic. The party had no intention of supporting a parliamentary version of […]
MANTRAYA OCCASIONAL PAPER #01: 27 MAY 2016 Sri Lanka: Assessment of the End-Game – Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D. – Much has already been written concerning the dramatic climax of three decades of war in Sri Lanka (see map). Still, much remains to be assessed. This is imperative, for the conflict, one of the most complex […]