National Guard troops are issued rifles and ammunition outside the US Capitol building in January last year. The State Partnership Programme is run by the US National Guard. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images/TNS
Did Nepal’s China-India balancing act cause it to ditch the US-run SPP security initiative?
- The US embassy in Nepal was at pains to emphasise that the State Partnership Programme ‘is not and has never been’ a security or military alliance
- Nepali MPs weren’t convinced. And New Delhi likely shared Beijing’s concerns about an increased US military presence in the region, analysts say
National Guard troops are issued rifles and ammunition outside the US Capitol building in January last year. The State Partnership Programme is run by the US National Guard. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images/TNS
