Nepal, Feb. 23 -- Nepal's economy is at a crossroads with two choices on the dining plate: To rise or to ruin. Similar turmoil exists in the power sector of the country on several fronts, including statutory hurdles, infrastructural constraints, melting glaciers, unsustainable resources, declining domestic funds, federal management of the energy portfolio, security fears of the private sector for their facilities under construction, market uncertainties and delayed power sector reforms.

A way out of these hurdles would require policy priorities and executive actions aimed at home and beyond. India's appetite for Nepal's hydropower presents a significant opportunity for Nepal's economy. The United States' growing influence in Asia and Ind...