Nepal is in a mess, plain and simple. Since ditching the monarchy in 2008 after that brutal civil war that killed over 17,000, the country’s republican experiment has been a nonstop disaster. What was sold as a path to freedom and equality has delivered corruption on steroids, economic stagnation, and a revolving door of useless politicians. The Maoist-led governments and their leftist cronies promised the moon. All they have given the people is hot air and poverty. But that’s communism in alright.
Unemployment hovers around 11% officially, but in reality, millions of young Nepalis flee to India or the Gulf for menial jobs. Power outages plague the nation. Healthcare is a lottery; you might die waiting for a bed. Inflation has finished the middle-class savings. The 2015 Constitution, rammed through amid chaos, turned Nepal into a federal republic, but it has only deepened divisions along ethnic lines. Madhesis in the south, Janajatis in the hills, and they all feel screwed over by Kathmandu’s ruling elites. While the political class when not exploiting the mass, is busy backstabbing each other for power.
The King’s Shadow Appears
Enter the pro-monarchy protests that exploded in early 2025, and by September, they are still simmering like a pot about to boil over. It started in March with thousands flooding Kathmandu’s streets, waving the old royal flag and chanting for former King Gyanendra Shah to come back. These were not your fringe weirdos. They were the everyday Nepalis — farmers, shopkeepers, students. People who had had enough of the democratic farce. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), the royalist outfit, has been leading the charge, demanding a return to a constitutional monarchy under the 1990 setup.
The Hindu Rashtra demand is the other big banner. Nepal was officially Hindu until 2008, when secularism was slapped on without a real vote. With 81% of the population Hindu, it is no surprise folks see the king and Hinduism as the glue holding this diverse, mountainous patchwork together. The RPP argues that scrapping the Hindu state opened the door to Christian missionaries and Islamic influences that dilute Nepal’s soul. This looks less like blind bigotry. And looks more like cultural survival in a globalized world where the Abrahamics are constantly pushing their “holier-than-thou” agendas. Is there a point in bending to that when your own identity works just fine?
The Ugly Side of the Government
With the seated politicians visibly shaken, these protests have turned bloody. By late March, three protesters were dead, over 125 injured, and Kathmandu looked like a war zone with torched vehicles and smashed shops. Police cracked skulls with batons, fired tear gas, imposed curfews, and even called in the army. The violence backfired a bit on the monarchists, turning off some fence-sitters during that period. But as of September 2025, the momentum is back. And the Maoist-led state’s police has become even more brutal.
The government’s response? More empty rhetoric from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his UML party, who cling to power like parasites. They have arrested RPP leaders and branded the movement “regressive”, but that is pure garbage. Domestically, support for the monarchy polls at around 30-40%, highest among the youth ironically tired of illusions of Western democracy.
Plato’s Message
Plato nailed it in The Republic: when democracy devolves into mob rule and chaos, the masses beg for a tyrant — or a king — to slap some order back. Nepal is a living proof. The average Nepali is not out there pondering philosophy; he is losing his savings paying bribes, and watching his kids emigrate. The Hindu Rashtra and monarchy are fantasies no more; they are a raw cry for pride, stability, and an end to the humiliation of begging aid from abroad while watching their leaders feast.
A Crossroads that Holds a Promise
The soft-Maoist republic looks like on life support, gasping under its own weight. A full royal comeback? Unlikely without a coup or total collapse. Because the political class won’t yield without a fight. But this unrest signals deep rot. The streets echo with chants of “Raja aau!” (King, come back). One thing is clear: Nepalese people have had enough with imbecile politicians.
Would it make geostrategic sense to quietly echo the US playbook — the ones that topple shaky regimes with a wink and an NGO? Would backing the king’s return, through backchannels or “civil society” funding, enable in installing a stable state in the region? Wouldn’t Nepal be a decent ground to box out China and its communist-influenced Maoist trappings? And also, keep the Maoist-orchestrated chaos from spilling out in the surrounding region? Wouldn’t it do a world of good to the region to reestablish a stable culturally aligned ally? Especially looking at the federal mess that Nepal is — rife with corrosive religio-political ideologies?
Remember, in the Himalaya, playing neutral just means losing ground.
