Modern Political and Economic History of Nepal: Violence, Geopolitics, and the Future

Modern Political and Economic History of Nepal: Violence, Geopolitics, and the Future by SB Luwang offers a sweeping account of Nepal’s turbulent journey from monarchy to republic, and from civil war to fragile federal democracy.

The book traces the country’s modern history from the 1951 overthrow of the Rana regime to the Maoist insurgency, the abolition of the monarchy, the 2015 constitution, and the dramatic Gen Z Uprising of 2025, when young people took to the streets after a social media ban. Alongside political events, it examines the economic paradox of Nepal — a nation sustained by remittances, rich in hydropower potential, yet vulnerable to instability.

This is not only a chronicle of violence but also an exploration of the forces behind it: inequality, exclusion, weak institutions, unfinished transitional justice, and a political culture of confrontation. At the same time, the book explores the geopolitical chessboard — India’s central role, China’s growing presence through the Belt and Road Initiative, and the United States’ strategic engagement via the MCC compact.

With detailed chapters on impacts, conspiracy theories, and future scenarios, the book asks whether Nepal will remain trapped in cycles of protest and repression, or seize its opportunity to become a bridge between South and East Asia. Both sobering and hopeful, it is a timely guide for scholars, policymakers, and citizens seeking to understand Nepal’s past, present, and possible futures.