ISAS Insights

India-Nepal relations are changing – not only because both these countries are transforming internally, but also because the regional strategic context in which they operate is being redefined, particularly by China’s strong push into South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s state visit to India from 23 to 27 August 2017, when viewed in this dynamic context, appears to be high on rituals and low on substance. It is clear that relations between these two close neighbours cannot be managed in the ‘business as usual’ style. The leadership of both the countries must not continue to bask under the protective feeling of close civilisational, cultural and geographical ties between them. They have to relate these traditional bonds to the future aspirations of their increasingly confident and alert people