Nepal: A Failing State or a State in Transition?

The modest intention of this paper is to question the above assertion that Nepal is a failing state. To this end, it shall firstly outline the broad definition of failing states. Secondly, it will offer an overview of the key security problems which face Nepal and offer solutions to deal with them effectively in the future. Following from this, the paper analyses the current security dynamic through the prism of failing states provided by the Fund for Peace/Foreign Policy. Using this evidence as well as incorporating key literature on failing states, the essay shall critique the claim that Nepal is a failing state; and in doing so, will finally offer some conclusions about the usefulness of creating indexes such as the FSI as a basis for comparison between so-called ‘failing states.’