Sovereign Deficit: Fragmented Polity, Defense Dilemma and the Battle for Civilian Supremacy in Nepal‪.‬

Ever since the revolutionary overthrow of the monarchical order on April 24, 2006 Nepal has been on an accelerated path of political transformation. The fall of the old regime opened the door for the restoration of the old parliament, peace pact (i) with the CPN (Maoists), promulgation of an interim constitution, formation of an interim legislature that included the Maoist rebels, and finally the induction of the Maoists in the government. The political transition reached a new stage with the holding of the Constituent Assembly election in April 2008 and the subsequent Maoist ascension to power through parliamentary process. The pace and scale of change since 2006 has turned the erstwhile unitary state into a federal structure and the Hindu kingdom into a secular republic (Shah 2008, 2007a). Of the entire gamut of structural changes initiated by the post-monarchical regime, none has been more contested and controversial than the one to alter the form and structure of the Nepali military. Indeed, the Maoist government collapsed in 2009 precisely after its handling of the Nepal Army (formerly Royal Nepal Army) precipitated a major constitutional crisis that has repolarized the Nepali political landscape into an uncertain future. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Nepal today is a treasure trove for students and practitioners of civil-military relations. What were essentially obscure administrative-intellectual labels and their reifying acronyms such as civil-military relations (CMR), disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), security sector reforms (SSR), and civilian supremacy until three short years have come to assume lives of their own since their introduction into the country by donors and INGOs wishing to facilitate the state restructuring agenda following the demise of monarchy. The proliferation and permutation of these categories in the public consciousness can be gleaned by their privileged media coverage not only from the political, developmental, and the security domains but also in the popular comedy shows such as Jire Khursani and Tito Sattya.