Nepal’s Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda (`The Fierce One’), came to power in August 2008 following his party’s success in the country’s first-ever Constituent Assembly elections. Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and leader of its People’s Liberation Army, he led a decade-long People’s War (1996-2006) with the goals of ending Nepal’s monarchy and creating a new federal republic.
This year, Constituent Assembly elections held in April yielded a near majority for the Maoists. The Assembly’s first meeting ended a 240-year-old monarchy and began its main task: creating Nepal’s new constitution. In addition to leading the Assembly in this historic monumental task, Prachanda now faces the challenges of managing a complex coalition government to address the long-neglected basic needs of the people, while at the same time establishing security and peace in Nepal under the watchful gaze of an interested but skeptical international community.
Remarks by Professor Andrew Arato, Dorothy Hart Hirshon Professor of Political and Social Theory, The New School. Q&A session moderated by Kul Chandra Gautam, Senior Fellow, India China Institute.
Admission is free and open to the public. Limited seating on a first come basis. Seating must be completed by 5:45 pm.
Co-sponsored by: Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Nepal | American Nepal Friendship Society | Association of Nepali Tarain in America | Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Nepal in America | United Nepalese Democratic Forum | Ashikaar | Nepalese Americas Council | Friends of Nepal-New Jersey | In Conversation (a podcast on www.Samudaya. org)
~~ Video, podcast and a transcript (including Q&A) of this event will be made available on this website. ~~
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Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the man Nepalis call “the fierce one” (Prachanda), lived underground for thirteen years leading the Maoists’ struggle, not resurfacing until 2006 to enter the arena of formal politics and becoming the first democratically- elected leader of Nepal – garnering nearly twice as many votes as his nearest rival. He is the Maoist leader who challenged Nepalis to free themselves and take hold of their nation, bringing vast social and political strife to the forefront of the Nepali discourse, and against all odds and predictions, put an end to 240 years of monarchy. As the head of the democratically- elected government, the former rebel leader will be the face of the New Nepal. [read BBC’s Prachanda: The Challenge Ahead]
Andrew Arato is Dorothy Hart Hirshon Professor in Political and Social Theory at The New School University. He is also a member of the USIP/UNDP working group, Constitution Making, Peace Building, and Conflict Resolution. Arato’s books include Civil Society, Constitution, and Legitimacy (2000) and, with Jean L. Cohen, Civil Society and Political Theory (1992). Among his current projects is a work on post-sovereign constitution making. He is editor of Constellations.
Kul Chandra Gautam is a former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. He has extensive experience in international diplomacy in areas of socio-economic development, humanitarian assistance, and human rights. As a senior UN official, Mr. Gautam provided leadership for strategic planning, policy guidance and program management. He coordinated inter-agency collaboration and public-private partnerships for child rights and human development among UN agencies, donors, and civil society organizations. In his long and distinguished career with the United Nations, spanning over three decades, Mr. Gautum had extensive dealings with senior levels of donor governments, development agencies and NGOs in policy dialogue, advocacy and resource mobilization.