IRESPUB Journal of Humanities & Cultural Studies ISSN: 2770-3657 Volume: 1 | Issue: 2 | NOV - DEC 2021 | Available Online: www.irespub.com DOI: 00.00000/irespub.v0i0.0 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 64 Power struggle for natural uranium of Himalaya near China border Ananta Aryal Tribhuvan University, Faculty of humanities and social sciences, MLS program, Kathmandu Nepal ABSTRACT This study analyzes “power and politics on the natural uranium of upper mustang region” of Nepal. By mixed method, study has concluded that there is strong political power struggle between different stakeholders to gain the ownership, and economic benefit. Study conducted a cross sectional survey on 32 households among 120 houses of central lo-manthang then analyzed obtained simple data set. Among 32 respondents, 29 are in favor of local government regarding its ownership. 23 are not ready to share benefit equally to province and central governments. 24 of them are not ready to share it to foreign powers but 29 are agree to sell it with economic benefit. Study explains the power and political struggle over the uranium resource of upper mustang region by linking it with the global references and leading theories. KEYWORDS power; politics; struggle; natural uranium; stakeholder CORRESPONDING AUTHOR* Ananta Aryal INTRODUCTION Uranium demand is complicated and there are many different factors that affects how much of it is needed. The main factors currently affecting uranium demand are the following: politics, population, technology, development, and the clean energy movement. The scarcity hypothesis indicates that people have the most power when the resource they possess are hard to come by or are in high demand. Uranium, the most atomically unstable natural element on earth, has a unique place in the global geopolitics of resources. It provides energy to millions of people by applying its small amount. Its isotopes are used in powering space crafts and nuclear medication. It is also reason of many of the deadliest threats, including nuclear devastation and radioactive waste. Its mining had caused bitter conflict with indigenous and local people and testing of nuclear weapons had left a toxic legacy. Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring fissile isotope, which makes it widely used in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons. Uranium-238 is fissionable by fast neutrons, and can be transmuted to fissile plutonium-239 in a nuclear reactor. Another fissile isotope, uranium-233, can be produced from natural thorium and is also important in nuclear technology (Berkely, 2007). Uranium isotopes maintain a sustained nuclear chain reaction. This generates the heat in nuclear power reactors, and produces the fissile material for nuclear weapons. Depleted uranium (238U) is used in kinetic energy penetrators and armor plating (Emsley, 2001; L. Morss., 2019; Tissot et al., 2020; Hammond C.R., 2000; Seaborg, 1968; A. Bleise, et.al., 2003). The main focus of the study is to discuss about the condition, use and power struggle among stakeholders over the natural uranium of upper Mustang in Nepal. Lo Manthang is a rural municipality near of Tibet border in middle of Himalayan range. Power and politics refer to the political interest to take benefit and overall right of natural uranium. The department of geology and mines had confirmed occurrence of uranium in valid amount, mixed with soil and rock which is likely to purify. It is mostly demanded and expensive metal in earth although it has too much expensive process of purification. Since World War II, it is estimated that there have been more than 150 wars. Of these, relatively few have been large scale conflicts between countries; most about 80 percent have been civil wars in developing countries. Policymakers and scholars have studied these conflicts closely to try to understand why violence occurs and how future conflicts could prevent, agreeing that the root of conflicts are complex and that many political, economic, and historical factors together cause states to fail. Throughout history, countries have battled over natural resources.