Manish Thapa's Page

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Manish Thapa (Nepal) is a PhD. Student in International Studies at the University of Tokyo, Japan. He received his Bachelors degree in Development Studies from Kathmandu University, and an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from Austria’s European Peace University. Manish was Sauvé Scholar 2006-2007 at McGill University in Canada. He is now serving as an Executive Director of Asian Study Centre for Political & Conflict Transformation – ASPECT (www.aspectasia.org) and Regional Coordinator of South Asian Regional Cooperation Academic Network (SARCAN), a joint project between McGill-University of Montreal Joint Research Group in International Security (REGIS) - Canada and Asian Study Centre for Political & Conflict Transformation (ASPECT) - Nepal. He founded Nepal Peace Initiative Alliance (www.peace-nepal.org) in 2005 which was instrumental in the establishment of Ministry of Peace & Reconstruction in Nepal. He also played a key role in establishing Conflict, Peace & Development Studies Program at Tribhuvan University, where he is associated as core faculty member. His recent publication includes "Understanding Maoists Insurgency: Context, Cost & Consequences" in Changing Contours of Global Conflicts, Costs and Prospects of Peace, edited by Dr. Seema Shekhawat and Dr. Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra (2008); "The Role of Young People in Conflict Prevention & Peace Building: A Case Study of Nepal" in Young People, Education, and Sustainable Development: Exploring Principles, Perspectives, and Praxis, edited by Philip Osano & Peter Blaze Corcoran (2008); "Ministry of Peace & Reconstruction: A Foundation for Peace" in Joint Action for Prevention: Civil Society & Government Cooperation on Conflict Prevention & Peacebuilding, edited by Paul Van Tongeren & Christine van Empel (2007) and Institutional Approaches to Gender Policies in Post Conflict Reconstruction – A Case Study of World Bank (2006).

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you have direct and significant expertise

Nepal & All South Asian Countries

What is your current country of residence?

Nepal

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Director - Asian Study Center for Peace & Conflict Transformation - ASPECT

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://aspectasia.org

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://sarcan.org

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise?

Conflict Resolution, Conflict Mainstreaming, Democratization, Development, Gender, Youth, Education, Civil Society

Which are your primary skills areas?

Evaluation, Program Design, Fundraising, Program Administration, Advocacy

What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?

Bullet to Ballot: The Politics of Peace Making in Nepal - (PhD. Research Project at Department of International Studies at University of Tokyo)

From Rebellion to Politics: Transformation of Rebel Groups into Political Parties in Armed Conflict: A Case Study of Maoists Party of Nepal (Research project of Asian Study Center for Political & Conflict Transformation - ASPECT)

Building National Infrastructure for Peace: Prospects & Challenges (Panel Discussion at 4th Global Summit for Ministries & Department of Peace September 2008 in Sydney, Australia)

Understanding Maoist Insurgency of Nepal: Context, Cost and Consequences (Presenting the Paper on International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Conference in July 2008)

Institutional Approaches to Gender Policies in Post Conflict Reconstruction – A Case Study of World Bank (Presenting the Paper on International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Conference in July 2008)

If appropriate feel free to list several of your publications

"Ministry of Peace & Reconstruction: A Foundation for Peace" in Joint Action for Prevention: Civil Society & Government Cooperation on Conflict Prevention & Peacebuilding. Eds. Paul Van Tongeren & Christine van Empel. The Netherlands: European Center for Conflict Prevention, 2007.

Path to Peace: Challenges & Response. Kathmandu: Asian Study Center for Political & Conflict Transformation, 2008 (In Process)

"The Role of Young People in Conflict Prevention & Peace Building: A Case Study of Nepal" in Young People, Education, and Sustainable Development: Exploring Principles, Perspectives, and Praxis. Eds. P. Osano and P. B. Corcoran Nairobi, Kenya: United Nation Environment Program, 2008 (In Press)

"Understanding Maoist Insurgency of Nepal: Context, Cost and Consequences" in Changing Contours of Global Conflicts and Prospects of Peace. Eds. S. Shekhawat. 2008 (In Press)

A Glossary of Terms & Concepts in Peace, Conflict & Security Studies. Kathmandu, Nepal: Asian Study Center for Political & Conflict Transformation, 2007.

Institutional Approaches to Gender Policies in Post Conflict Reconstruction – A Case Study of World Bank. Stadschalaining: Austria European University Center for Peace Studies, 2007.

Research Papers

Environmental Scarcity and its Implication on Intrastate Conflict: The Case Study of Nepal - Research Paper written as a part of Sauvé Research Scholar Program, 2007.

The Internet as a Tool for Promoting Youth Participation in Democracy: A Case study of Nepal – Research Paper published in Youth Development Journal, 2006.

Back to Negotiation: Diagnosis & Prognosis for future Negotiation Process in Nepal. – Research Paper Published at European Peace University - Research Paper Series - 2006

Evolution of Maoism in Nepal: Understanding Maoists Insurgency from Wider Perspectives - Research Paper submitted to European University Center for Peace Studies, Austria. Published in Global Development Network Research Paper Series - 2005