HONOLULU -- For 10 years, the remote Himalayan kingdom of Nepal has been slipping nearer and nearer to the edge of collapse; the tipping point is now close at hand.
At issue is who will rule the country -- the Maoist insurgents who have gained control of large swaths of the countryside by force, the political parties who seem more intent on quarreling than on solving problems, or King Gyanendra and his fellow autocrats who seek to govern with an iron hand.
According to reports last week, Maoist leader Prachanda has called for a dialogue among the country's seven political parties, or with the United Nations or other parties, to find a democratic way out of the kingdom's stalemate.