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Santosh Sharma Poudel

Santosh Sharma Poudel

Santosh Sharma Poudel is a faculty at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu and a co-founder of Nepal Institute for Policy Research (NIPoRe).

Santosh Sharma Poudel is foreign policy analyst and co-founder of Nepal Institute for Policy Research (NIPoRe). He leads the National Security and Foreign Affairs cluster at NIPoRe. He is also a faculty at Department of International Relations and Diplomacy (DIRD), Tribhuvan Unviersity. He writes on Nepali foreign and security policy and regional order regularly in Nepali newspapers and magazines. Besides Nepal, his areas of interest are South Asian regional order, China’s rise, and security in the Asia-Pacific.

He advises and conducts research for Institute for Foreign Affairs (IFA), a semi-autonomous research institute of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal.

He received his Bachelors from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan and Master’s from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. He was awarded the ST Engineering Gold Medal at for his excellence at RSIS and Nepal Bidhyabhusan (Kha) from the Government of Nepal.

Posts by Santosh Sharma Poudel
Page 4 of 6
September 27, 2022

SAARC Is Dead. Long Live Subregional Cooperation

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
India-Pakistan rivalry and India’s isolation of Pakistan contributed to the death of the South Asian regional organization. But India is keen on working with its other neighbors.
September 14, 2022

Implications of India’s Agnipath Scheme for Recruitment of Soldiers for Nepal’s Gurkhas

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Despite the scheme having major implications for Nepal and Nepal-India relations, India hardly consulted Kathmandu while devising the plan.

August 25, 2022

Nepal’s Ad Hoc Policies Toward China

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Nepal's foreign policy establishment needs to reach a consensus on what constitutes actions against the interest of its neighbors.

August 09, 2022

Will Reform of Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority Ever Take Off?

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
The country’s aviation safety and tourism sector will remain grounded so long as vested interests stand in the way of necessary legislation.

July 21, 2022

India’s BJP Reaches Out to Nepal’s Political Parties

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Its invitation to Maoist Center chief Dahal signals that it is willing to build bonds even with those it differs ideologically.
July 13, 2022

What Lies Behind Chinese Delegation’s Visit to Nepal?

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Growing U.S. influence in Nepal together with the fragmentation of the Nepali communists is worrying Beijing.

June 30, 2022

Nepal Plans to Lower Age at Marriage

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
The minimum age was set higher to ensure that girls finish school, become independent and make informed choices. Will the proposed change reverse the gains achieved?
June 23, 2022

India-Nepal Diplomatic Relations at 75: Full of Contradictions

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
The two countries share strong cultural, religious, political, and economic ties. The same issues can pull them apart.

June 09, 2022

Nepal Is Caught Between the US and China on Tibetan Refugee Issue

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
A recent visit by an American official to Tibetan refugee camps in Kathmandu appears to have not gone down well with Beijing.

May 27, 2022

Modi Visits the Buddha’s Birthplace in Nepal

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
The Indian prime minister’s religious diplomacy could make Nepal a pawn in India’s domestic politics, even make it appear complicit in BJP’s communal politics.

May 12, 2022

A Long Way to Go for Gender Equality in Nepali Politics

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Nepal has progressive laws and quotas for women’s representation in politics, but patriarchy and gender discrimination run deep and influence the decisions of parties.
April 28, 2022

Is Nepal Going the Way of Sri Lanka?

By Santosh Sharma Poudel
Although Nepal’s economic health is worrying, tourism is picking up and foreign remittances are poised to increase.

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