Balance of military forces in Nepal, in relation to PLA integration

Under watchful eyes

Balance of military forces in Nepal, in relation to PLA integration:

By Peter Tobin, Democracy and Class Struggle

It is almost certain that there is a contingency plan, in Washington and Delhi, should all means and stratagems fail, of imposing a Chilean-style solution, in the event of Maoists taking state power, through a People’ revolt.

Right now Kathmandu has the formal appearance of a city under a military dictatorship; it is an armed camp, soldiers or paras, bristling with guns are either on every street corner, patrolling, or charging about in personnel carriers. Every government, or significant building is guarded and fortified.

The biggest reason not to over-awed by the raw statistics is; this was the same military machine, that, despite complying with the axiom of warfare that requires those attacking a fortified, or entrenched position to possess, no less than a 3 to 1 majority over a defender,could not defeat, or even out-manoeuvre the PLA, for the best of a decade. Despite $20 billion US aid, swelling its ranks from 50,000 to 70,000, in the few years following 2002, it signally failed to defeat, or roll-back the Mobaadi,