https://x.com/NuryVittachi/status/1966431763565314233
Exclusive: Documents reveal how the US achieved regime change in Nepal, whose leaders had become “too friendly” with China
TLDR SUMMARY: The US spent more than a million dollars in Nepal recently, specifically a) training journalists to accuse the govt of corruption; and b) training Gen-Z youth in political activism. The aim: regime change, after Nepal’s leaders said they wanted to follow China’s independent internet model, having seen the global success of Tiktok and other Chinese apps. Regime change was achieved.
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A CRACK IN THE ARMOUR
IN 2023, STRATEGISTS IN WASHINGTON DC spotted a worrying problem in Asia. A small nation, Nepal, wanted internet independence, like China had.
The US used to sneer at what they called “China’s great firewall”, portraying it as a negative factor.
But it was obvious by 2023 that such a view was a huge mistake. By having its own internet, China had developed a large, thriving web ecosystem for commerce and information.
And the apps the Chinese system produced were so good that they took over the world. TikTok beat its US rivals, Aliexpress sold twice as many goods as Amazon, Shein quickly became the world’s top fashion seller, and Temu was the hottest thing on the net.
The Chinese firewall, rather than being a bad thing, was a massive advantage.
The Europeans, in shock, realized the truth of this, too, but they were too late to do anything about it.
Nepal was not too late. It wanted to follow the Chinese model—and were soon joined by Cambodia and Pakistan, who wanted to do the same.
The US was horrified, and started distributing articles saying this was a terrible idea, such as one published on December 1, 2023: “Nepal Has a Lot to Gain from the Open, Global Internet. So Why Is the Country Closing the Doors on It?”
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ENTER THE N.E.D
When Nepal refused to stop learning from China, the National Endowment for Democracy stepped up operations. In Nepal last year, NED operatives circulated reports, organized roundtable discussions and held briefings, all with one message: China is the enemy, the US is your friend.
At the same time, US operatives organized sessions to train Nepalese reporters “to expose corruption and abuse of authority”.
In a third operation, NED staff trained Gen-Z youth in political activism.
All in all the NED, by itself, spent about 1.6 million US dollars stirring up activism in Nepal last year—a lot of money in that country.
So far, so predictable. But what made this particular US operation special was the focus on technology and communications.
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ALL CHINA’S FAULT
To ramp up the operation, the NED in February this year circulated a long and unintentionally hilarious report called “Data-Centric Authoritarianism” which purported to show “How China’s Development of Frontier Technologies Could Globalize Repression”.
In an astonishing feat of logical contortion, this 41-page report argued that it was a terrible idea for a country to have a sovereign internet system, free and independent of US domination. It would mean “a win for China”.
“Pakistan, Nepal, and Cambodia, pursuing internet gateways that will funnel all international internet traffic through a government-controlled chokepoint, is a win for China,” the NED report said.
“These moves enhance China’s prestige, positioning the once-unique ‘Great Firewall’ as a potential model for other countries worldwide.”
The US was worried. If nations controlled their own information spaces, this would crash Washington’s all-encompassing grip over the global narrative.
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BABY STEPS
Nepal pressed ahead with the tiniest of baby steps.
Earlier this year, it simply asked all social media websites to register with the Nepali government.
The websites had to name a local contact, an authorized person to handle grievances, and a person responsible for self-regulation, by September 3.
But here’s where things went odd. TikTok, which has a Chinese parent, was happy to sign up, as did an app called We-Talk, and one called Viber, from an Israeli company.
But the US apps, such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Linked in, refused to obey. The Nepalese government had no choice but to follow through on what it had said by halting them.
That was when it became clear that a segment of Nepalese young people turned out to be Gen-Z youth which persons unknown had trained in political activism--and they hit the streets.
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TRAGIC RESULTS
In the ensuing chaos, lives were lost, property was destroyed, and the cost to Nepal, a poor country, has been enormous, reputationally and financially. It’s been tragic.
But think about this. The call for protests came from the media sector—the sector trained by the NED to focus on anti-government articles. Is that a coincidence?
The theme of the protests was “to expose corruption and abuse of authority”, exactly the theme NED suggested. But that may also be just a coincidence.
The main participants were Gen-Z youth, the group NED had been training for political activism. That could be a coincidence too, in theory.
And allegations are circulating saying that trouble is China’s fault, just as the series of 2024 briefings had suggested.
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WESTERN NARRATIVE WINS AGAIN
This story has a sad ending. The Nepalese wanted an internet system of their own, so they could develop their own apps, keep foreign interference, out and have a measure of web independence.
This would have been good for the people, especially creative young Gen-Z people in Nepal, who could create their own apps for their own market.
Instead, they are stuck as a tiny subsidiary of the US system, locked into the western narrative.
For example, going around people’s phones right now is a New York Times report titled “The Forces Behind Nepal’s Explosive Gen Z Protests”. It talks about govt corruption and Gen-Z activism, as if the NED itself had dictated the article.
And it chooses not to mention any of the elements I’ve just told you about. Not one.
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