19 July 2001

Nepal

Listening to: Best of the Gipsy Kings (on repeat)

I can't help but be amused at the stated goal of Nepal's Maoist rebels: to overthrow the nation's system of monarchy/parliamentary democracy and replace it with a one-party state!

Because we cover so many countries at work, I don't always remember everything I have written about any given country (and try to flush all but broad concepts from my mind anyway, in order fully to focus on whatever I'm analyzing at the time). So, I frequently have panic attacks when I see headlines like this, wondering "My gawd, did I see that coming? I wonder what I wrote." I HATE it when I miss something obvious, and am obviously not pleased when I miss something not-so-obvious. It's a real pleasure, though, when I find I've written something like the following (from an April 2001 update to Nepal):

Change is the one certainty in Nepalese politics, and therefore it is likely that Nepal will see several more governments over the forecast period. It is unlikely that Prime Minister Koirala will survive through 2001 (although not impossible).

Granted, it's not earth-shattering, but it's still satisfying to get one right every once in a while.

[Posted @ 02:20 PM CST]