Read The Diplomat, Know The Asia-Pacific

Nepal’s Gen Z Election

Why Was a Kazakh Lawyer Stripped of His License? 

How Thailand’s Messy Politics Fueled Its Border War With Cambodia

Finding Cambodia’s Forgotten Prophet

Lai’s Tougher Stance on Transnational Repression Has Taiwan’s Hong Kongers Optimistic

Bangladesh’s Election Is Over. Its Future Has Yet to Be Written.

How Long Can Kyrgyzstan’s Economic Boom Keep Booming?

Space Race 2.0: The Competition for the Future Operating System of Space

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway: Still Growing 8 Years Later

Is Central Asia Still Russia’s Backyard?

What We Know About China’s Secretive Nuclear Submarine Fleet

Beyond the Peninsula: What OPCON Transfer Means for the Indo-Pacific

Southeast Asia’s Mercenary Pipeline

Beyond the Indus | Politics | South Asia

Nepal’s Gen Z Election

Biswas Baral discusses the Gen Z Revolution, the new crop of favorites – headed by Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah – and the fate of the old political forces.

On March 5, Nepal will head to the polls for the first election since Gen Z protests toppled the government of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Beyond the Indus host Tushar Shetty sits down with Biswas Baral, editor of the Kathmandu Post and a columnist for The Diplomat, to discuss the Gen Z Revolution, the new crop of favorites – headed by Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah – and the fate of the old political forces.

Whoever wins, Baral says, “The new government cannot escape the underlying reasons why the Gen Z uprising happened in the first place: corruption, lack of jobs, unresponsive governance, poor service delivery.”

Get to the bottom of the story

Subscribe today and join thousands of diplomats, analysts, policy professionals and business readers who rely on The Diplomat for expert Asia-Pacific coverage.

Get unlimited access to in-depth analysis you won't find anywhere else, from South China Sea tensions to ASEAN diplomacy to India-Pakistan relations. More than 5,000 articles a year.

Unlimited articles and expert analysis

Weekly newsletter with exclusive insights

16-year archive of diplomatic coverage

Ad-free reading on all devices

Support independent journalism

Already have an account? Log in.

On March 5, Nepal will head to the polls for the first election since Gen Z protests toppled the government of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Beyond the Indus host Tushar Shetty sits down with Biswas Baral, editor of the Kathmandu Post and a columnist for The Diplomat, to discuss the Gen Z Revolution, the new crop of favorites – headed by Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah – and the fate of the old political forces.

Whoever wins, Baral says, “The new government cannot escape the underlying reasons why the Gen Z uprising happened in the first place: corruption, lack of jobs, unresponsive governance, poor service delivery.”

A transcript is available here.

Tushar Shetty is an Economist-in-training at HTW Berlin and host of the Beyond the Indus podcast.

2026 Nepal general election

Where Did Tajik President Emomali Rahmon Disappear To? And Why Does It Matter?

Why Japan Must Help Counter China’s Presence in the Pacific

New US Tariffs, Same Problems for Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan

China, ASEAN, and Beyond: The UK Strategy for the Indo-Pacific

Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

Nepal’s ‘Alternative’ Alliance: Generational Shift or Politics as Usual?

Nepal’s Steady But Fragile March to the March Polls

Nepal’s Fragile Dawn 

Gen Z’s Challenge to Elite Dominance in South Asia

Is Central Asia Still Russia’s Backyard?

What We Know About China’s Secretive Nuclear Submarine Fleet

War in Myanmar’s Andaman Islands

Japan After the Landslide: Takaichi’s Supermajority and the Trump Challenge

Why Was a Kazakh Lawyer Stripped of His License? 

By Agnieszka Pikulicka

Finding Cambodia’s Forgotten Prophet

Lai’s Tougher Stance on Transnational Repression Has Taiwan’s Hong Kongers Optimistic

Bangladesh’s Election Is Over. Its Future Has Yet to Be Written.

Where Did Tajik President Emomali Rahmon Disappear To? And Why Does It Matter?

Why Japan Must Help Counter China’s Presence in the Pacific

New US Tariffs, Same Problems for Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan

China, ASEAN, and Beyond: The UK Strategy for the Indo-Pacific

© The Diplomat