The Foreign Service Journal, October 2003

Nepali, and the national language Dzongkha have all been taught in Bhutanese schools since the 1960s. It’s part of the government’s ongoing balancing act, adroit in a nation of 700,000 people wedged between India, China and adjacent to another landlocked kingdom, Nepal. The intent is to preserve Bhutanese cultural and religious traditions while connecting cautiously with the wider world. The government hopes to select those aspects of modernization that seem useful, rejecting others that might overwhelm the country’s values. Television fell into the latter cat- egory until 1999, though the government’s ban on satellite dishes had been previously undermined by VCR imports. Jeans and T-shirts similarly en- croached on the government’s decree that the tradi- tional men’s gho (a kimono-like robe) and women’s kira (a floor-length wrap dress) be worn in govern- ment and religious buildings. Coinciding with celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the king’s enthronement in June 1999, Bhutan inaugurated television service for three hours each evening and initiated Internet access. It was a big step. The Communications Ministry hosted the Internet launch, and the first queen — Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, magnificently dressed in a pink and turquoise silk kira — gave the keynote address. Monks chanted prayers to open the event; attendees received five ngultrum notes (about 15 U.S. cents) and a set of commemorative stamps. Attendants served tea and saf- fron rice. A young lady from the ministry carefully explained DrukNet — Bhutan’s new Web site — then the queen (one of four sisters married to the king) was called upon to send the first e-mail message to Bhutanese students around the world. As she pushed the send button, everyone turned expectantly to the enlarged screen that showed the result. An error message flashed momentarily. “Ah,” sighed many in the audience. “A reprieve.” Four Decades of Change It’s fantastic to contemplate how Bhutan has changed in the last 40 years. In the 1950s there were no roads, no cur- rency, no electricity or plumbing, and no telephones. Schools were housed in monasteries, and the brightest stu- dents walked hundreds of miles for higher education in what is now India. Slavery was not abolished until 1958, and it was not until the mid-1960s that Bhutan began developing its infrastructure. Founding-father tales of Buddhist saints establishing dzongs (monastic fortresses) and codifying law blur — as history recedes — with legends of a Lord Buddha reincarnation arriving on a flying tiger to subdue local demons. Today the country has a growing power grid and an effi- cient telecommunications system that reaches into all 20 dis- tricts. Though most of the population is still involved in sub- sistence agriculture, and average annual per capita income is officially $700, progress has been made in expanding the pro- ductive base and in social welfare. Twenty-two percent of Bhutan’s annual budget is devoted to health and education, and literacy and longevity have increased significantly. Bhutan has enormous hydropower potential, which it has begun to tap with India’s help. A member of the United Nations since 1971, Bhutan cooperates with UNICEF and the UNDP in its development efforts. In the Bumthang Valley one cold evening, I lingered after dinner near a bukari wood stove as long as possible. Tshering told me about his travels to the United States to study differ- ent legal systems. He found Navajo law particularly perti- nent to Bhutan, perhaps because it relies more on consensus than coercion. “Until recently,” he offered as an aside, “rape was not considered a crime here.” Perhaps he wanted to shock me. It was one of those moments when you use the same words, but are not at all sure you understand each other. “Doesn’t that imply the person being raped has no rights?” I asked. Women in Bhutan are strong, hardy products of a matrilo- cal culture. It’s said the thingka brooches they use to fasten their kira at the shoulders doubled as weapons in earlier days to stab attackers. They are legally able to have more than one husband, as men are able to have more than one wife, although few people practice polygamy today. Bhutanese women are not subservient, unseen members of society. They are powerful; they run businesses; they are mayors of large towns, and members of the national legislative body. The country’s National Assembly was formed after the current king’s father ascended the throne in 1951. The majority of its members are representatives of the people elected by publicly declared consensus for three-year terms, O C T O B E R 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 61 A hillside village in Bhutan.