The Trajectory Between Territorial Disputes, Nationalism, and Geopolitics: A Case Study of the Kalapani Border Dispute Between India and Nepal

ABSTRACT

Nationalism remains a major influence on international relations in an increasingly globalised world. Many of the wars that erupted after the Cold War have their origins in ethnic tensions, border conflicts, or national aspirations. Given this, the geo-politicisation of nationalism deserves more attention in the literature. The current study aims to further the area by considering the role of territorial disputes in spawning various forms of nationalism and geopolitics. It develops an analytical framework based on the existing border dispute between Nepal and India in the ‘Kalapani’ region. Post-2019, the Kalapani dispute not only has represented bilateral border disputes between two entities but also reflects the overall geopolitics of the region. Similarly, it also represents the rise of ‘nationalism’ as a political anchor point in domestic politics in both India and Nepal. The paper based its assessment on the primary and secondary data analysis. Drawing on the data, this paper argues that border disputes between India and Nepal have two facets that signal the rising nationalism in both sides and the changing geopolitics of South Asia.

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Notes

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3. With respect to Bum Shah’s claim to the track on the Eastern side of the Kali, the Governor General in Council is of opinion that according to the Letter of the Treaty, the Government of Nepal is entitled to the restoration of it, notwithstanding its hitherto having been regarded as annexed to the British province of Kumaon. I am accordingly directed to intimate to you that the acting Commissioner for Kumaon will be instructed to surrender it to the officers of the Nepalese Government (Dhungel, Bhusal, and Khanal 2020).