Tale of Two Cities -- Dhaka and Kathmandu .... :::: The Genesis ..... Terrorism was a Plague .... And what we have in the new of Youth Anger is more worrisome !!

The uprising of 2011 in Egypt was called Arab Spring. In Dhaka - it was almost a mix of old and new models of regime change.

In Nepal - it is the Social Media Revolution of Gen Z.

In 2011 -- the term "Social Media Revolution" is attributed to the significant role social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Sept 9 - 2025 - Kathmandu -- an aerial view (social media) 

These platforms facilitated citizen coordination and amplified voices against autocratic regimes by enabling the organization of anti-government demonstrations and the rapid spread of information. While not the sole cause, social media acted as a crucial tool for activists to voice dissent, coordinate protests offline, and overcome government control over traditional media.  

Date line - 2011 : Egypt: A New Turning Point 

In our understanding Terrorism had emerged as the plague of the new era --- and typically answers - Military, Political and Economic - had to be found to meet and destroy the menace.  

In 2011-12 after Egypt, sustained street demonstrations took place in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. 

Minor protests reported in Djibouti, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and the Western Sahara

But the wave of initial revolutions and protests faded by mid to late 2012, as many Arab Spring demonstrations were met with violent responses from authorities.

Multiple large-scale conflicts followed: 

- the Syrian civil war;

-- the rise of 

-- Insurgency in Iraq and the following civil war;

-- the bigger Egyptian Crisis, election and removal from office of Mohamed Morsi

-- the Libyan Crisis;

and the Yemeni crisis.

 

Bangladesh protest of 2024 

But in September 2025, Bangladesh is unable to display the same optimism.

The country now wants to "return to normality" and come out of the state of insecurity. 

Worse there is also uncertainty of other forms.

Hundreds of factories have been shut down due to mass protests, bringing the lucrative garment industry to an economically devastating halt. 

In fact, Bangladesh is in a huge complicated process. 

Analysts say the roster of ambitious democratic reforms that the caretaker Yunus and his advisers promised are far-from being achieved or implemented.

For students at the forefront of the revolution, several of whom now sit at Yunus’s right hand as part of the ruling elite, the task at hand is a complete overhaul of everything from the police to the judiciary.

Corrections in the banks and the electoral system.

Another kind of problem may soon herald. 

The BNP’s impatience to return to power could be a cause of next round of unrest down the line.  

Now we have Nepal. Kathmandu was burning and a former Prime Minister's wife was also killed in the 'fire'.

Politicians houses and party offices are being attacked. PM Oli has resigned and fled the country.

President Paudel also quit. 

“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” said Oli in his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

The Himalayan nation looks clueless.  

"The violence in Nepal is heart-rending. I am anguished that many young people have lost their lives. The stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance to us. I humbly appeal to all my brothers and sisters in Nepal to support peace," India's PM Narendra Modi wrote on X.

It looked innocuous to begin with.

On Sept 29, 2024 -- the Nepali Supreme Court ordered all social-media platforms in Nepal to register before operating so authorities could monitor “undesirable content,” with the text of the court verdict made public last month.

To comply with the order, the Oli Govt issued a public notice to social-media platforms on Aug 28, giving them seven days to register. 

If they didn’t, they would be deactivated.

Some companies, like TikTok and messaging platform Viber, did register before the deadline. 

But others reportedly continued to ignore the order. 

Of course, it's clear now that the warfare of today and tomorrow have become far more complicated with modern technology. And now this 'new complexity' of the entire issue. 

To wrap up one must say as things have been happening in India's neighbourhood - there is need to be extra cautious. National security will demand that due attention be paid to the changes that are taking place in warfare. 

During the last seven decades and more the Indian security apparatus has fought multiple wars with China and Pakistan. It has been fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency in the north east. 

The Forces have always delivered and they will deliver again and again. 

ends