Changing Contours of Nepal-US Relations

Abstract

The US was the second country after the United Kingdom with which Nepal established diplomatic relations and since then US has been providing development assistance to Nepal in different sectors such as transport, communication, public health, education, family planning, malaria eradication, agriculture, forestry, energy, governance, harnessing of natural resources and n disaster mitigation measures. The interest and concerns of the US, has grown significantly in Nepal after promulgating the 2015 constitution that crucially changed the identity of Nepal in the international system which have been reflected through development projects such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Nepal’s involvement in key events such as the Summit of Democracy. After the ratification of the MCC, physical infrastructure and regional connectivity might be in focus of US in Nepal. Similarly, as the current chair nation of SAARC and a member state of BIMSTEC, the US reckons that Nepal can play a crucial role in the Indo-Pacific region. Apart from these, one area where the US through its IPS can focus in Nepal is clean energy.