Bangladesh, Sept. 10 -- By any measure, Nepal has been a political tinderbox for decades. But what unfolded this past week — a youth-driven revolt that left more than 20 dead, torched the homes of senior politicians, toppled a prime minister, and sent the army onto the streets — isnt merely a domestic implosion. Its a case study in how decades of foreign influence, naïve aid politics, and strategic complacency can fertilize instability until one social spark ignites an inferno.

Lets start with the spark. The governments abrupt ban on 26 social media platforms — including the ones that connect Nepals vast diaspora to their families — was like dousing gasoline on already simmering resentment. TikTok, ironically...