The recent images from Nepal were not ordinary news items to be consumed and forgotten. International media broadcasted extraordinary scenes: angry crowds chasing down officials and wealthy elites accused of corruption, stripping them of the symbols of their privilege. In some cases, individuals were even forced to remove their clothes in public – a dramatic humiliation that captured the collapse of their status and authority.

These moments did not arise spontaneously. They were the product of years of rampant corruption, monopolised wealth, and a political system that left ordinary people excluded from justice. When avenues for reform are blocked, frustration builds silently until it erupts. In Nepal, that silence has finally broken.

A mirror for others

What unfolded in Kathmandu is not just a domestic crisis; it is a mirror held up to rulers everywhere. The lesson is stark: impunity has an expiry date. No matter how subdued a people may seem, the potential for revolt remains. And when legitimacy is lost, the fall of elites can be both swift and brutal.

Echoes of the Arab Spring

For those of us in the Arab world, the scenes from Nepal evoke familiar........

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