Kathmandu, Dec. 21 -- As feared, Prime Minister KP Oli's brinkmanship has led the country to the edge of the cliff. This cartoon in Nepali Times last week was prescient.

The coming days will show whether we as a nation go over, or take a step back. While the role of the Prime Minister to bring matters to the point of dissolving the House is obvious, it is also important to recognise the cast of characters who pushed him to the rim of the precipice.

Nepal has not had a prime minister serve a full term since the end of the Rana regime in 1950. The continuity of the Head of Government in office itself was bound to have provided political stability and economic stimulus. That was the hope after the 2017 elections.

The three years of the pr...