I admire the British (European) press/radio/media for its analytical coverage of world events. It is so important to follow major world developments because these impact us all. The US media is blocking out by default important world developments by saturating the news space with Clinton/Obama/McCain. It has even forgotten that there is a president called Bush who continues to play havoc and still has got few more months to go before leaving office.

One reader branded me as ideologically “far left” for writing about Nepal. Perhaps he wanted me to just close my eyes to Nepal where the “Maoists” have won there. This cold war rhetoric/jingoism still continues (”either you praise America, or you are a worthless red flag waving raging commie” or worse).

Although my post above clearly mentions that even former president Jimmy Carter, monitoring elections there, believes that the former Maoists rebels are now on the path of moderation.

It is a great opportunity ,as well as challenge, before Prachanda and his team to bring his country out of decades of ignorance and poverty. The least countries like United States can do is to stop aggravating the situation by backing up (bribing) politicians and dictators in developing countries.

But I am a born optimist. Nepal has gone through terrible agony/pain/bloodshed during the past decade. Even your best wishes count in alleviating the suffering of the people there.

Fascinating development, but not entirely surprising. This was the electoral culmination of a true class class revolution in Nepal… The amount of non-elites who are being elected in this vote tell a good part of the story.

I'm glad to see Prachanda moderating his rhetoric, though, because NOW THE REAL WORK BEGINS. Nepal has profound socioeconomic problems that need to be addressed. Some of them are quite intractable… Outside of the Kathmandu Valley, infrastructure and development is minimal. In the hinterlands, it's virtually non-existent save for trekking and mountaineering tourism. There are no roads, let alone industry. Politically and culturally, the divide between the Valley and elsewhere is also strong, and if at the end of the day Prachanda cannot reconcile and work with the urban socio-economic nexus of the country, he toast. And if the Prachanda government turns out to be just more of the same inept corruption with different players, this too will be problematic since the cost of getting into office was a deadly one.

It's going to be a fascinating next few years for Nepal. It'll also be interesting to see if other revolutionary-wannabees around the globe look to Prachanda and say “yes, we too can win with the gun”. Seems like Prachanda might actually be able to make the switch from revolutionary to enlightened leader. For the sake of Nepal, I hope so…