Airstrip One

The 'War on Terror' (Nepal Theatre)

Perhaps the Maoists in Nepal do employ terror to achieve their ends, a Communist Republic sandwiched between two behemoths. But the 'war on terror' has been stretched to Kathmandu, and is now our excuse for supporting the government against the insurgency and provide $7m of military aid.

Our longstanding ties with Nepal and the role of the Gurkhas are surely sufficient reasons to lend external gestures of support to the existing regime. Using the justification of the 'war on terror' is now undermining our own post-imperial and Commonwealth ties in pursuit of an Americanised foreign policy, and further weakening any discourse of a distinctive British foreign policy.

The conference lasts for two days, including all the major players with interest in the region, and indicates a search for stability in the Himalayas. What are the chances of troops or advisers being deployed?