International Author and Humanitarian Dennis Cummins Releases Built or Broken in Nepal
A new book on leadership, order, and accountability arrives as Nepal navigates a historic moment of national transition.
KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Dennis J. Cummins, president of Hearts for Nepal USA and author with more than fifteen years of sustained humanitarian and leadership work in Nepal, has announced the release of his new book, Built or Broken: Why Leadership Is the Discipline of Order, in conjunction with his current visit to Kathmandu.
The book, released in March 2026, examines a universal leadership principle Cummins argues has been observable across nations, civilizations, and institutions throughout human history: that leadership is not primarily about influence, charisma, or vision — it is about the disciplined establishment and maintenance of order. Systems that build genuine accountability and structural governance endure. Systems that substitute influence for order eventually fracture under pressure.
Cummins is releasing the book in Nepal at what he describes as one of the most significant leadership transition moments in the nation's modern history.
“I have been part of Nepal's story since 2009. I have walked alongside leaders in government, business, and civic life across this country for fifteen years. I am not here as an outside observer. I am here as someone with genuine investment in what Nepal becomes. And this book — which was not written about Nepal specifically — speaks directly to the moment this country is in right now.”— Dennis J. Cummins, Author and President, Hearts for Nepal USA
Nepal has entered a period of significant political and institutional transition following the events of September 2025, in which widespread public demonstrations — driven by longstanding demands for accountability, transparency, and effective governance — led to a change in government and national elections in March 2026. Cummins is clear about his position regarding those events.
“What I see at the heart of what happened in Nepal last September was a legitimate and ancient demand: to be governed well, by leaders who absorb consequence rather than avoid it. That demand I understand and I honor. What I cannot and do not endorse is the violence, the rioting, or the destruction of property that occurred in the course of those events. This book's core argument is that chaos cannot produce order. You cannot build accountability through destruction. The answer to broken governance is always the harder, longer work of building structures that hold — not the escalation of disorder.”— Dennis J. Cummins
Built or Broken is organized around fifteen chapters that trace the full arc of leadership from the individual to the institutional. Among its central arguments:
- Chaos does not create leadership failures — it exposes what was already structurally weak.
- Influence is not leadership. Influence gathers people. Authority governs them — and authority is responsibility accepted, not position assumed.
- Nations move through three generational phases — builders, carriers, and consumers — and understanding where a nation sits in that cycle is essential for leaders who want to intervene before decline completes itself.
- Self-governance is the first territory of leadership. External order cannot be established by leaders who have not first established order within themselves.
- Clarity always costs — but ambiguity costs more. The leader who avoids difficult clarity to preserve relationships eventually loses both the relationships and the institution.
- Succession is how order proves itself. A system that cannot survive the departure of its leader was never ordered — it was personality dependent.
Cummins is presenting the book's principles this week as part of a broader leadership initiative in Nepal, including a conference for senior government, business, and civic leaders in Kathmandu. He emphasizes that the book is not a political document and does not advocate for any political party, faction, or government.
“This book is not a commentary on Nepal's politics. It is a framework drawn from the full span of human leadership history — from ancient civilizations to modern institutions — that applies to every leader in every sector at every level. What I hope Nepal's current leaders take from it is this: the opportunity in front of this nation right now is historic. Whether that opportunity produces something that lasts will depend on whether leaders build order into structure — or build influence around personality. One survives when they are gone. The other does not.”— Dennis J. Cummins
Hearts for Nepal USA, which Cummins has led since its founding, has maintained an active presence in Nepal since 2009. The organization's work spans community development, educational support, and leadership training across multiple regions of the country, with direct partnerships at community, civic, and governmental levels.
Built or Broken: Why Leadership Is the Discipline of Order is available through denniscummins.me and on Amazon. It is Cummins' fourth published work and the first written and released with Nepal's current leadership context specifically in view.
“I have invested fifteen years in this country. I believe in what Nepal is capable of building. This book is my contribution to that work — not as someone standing above the situation offering instruction, but as someone standing inside it, with genuine stakes in whether it succeeds.”— Dennis J. Cummins
About Built or Broken: Dennis J. Cummins, First Edition 2026. Examines the universal pattern by which leadership systems rise, sustain, and decline — and what leaders at every level can do to build order that outlasts their personal presence. Available at denniscummins.me and Amazon.
About Dennis J. Cummins: a leadership speaker, author, educator, and international humanitarian. He serves as President of Hearts for Nepal USA and as an educator at the School of Leadership. He is the author of four books, including High Altitude Leadership, Leading in the Blast Zone, and Deeper, and is host of the Truth is Freedom podcast. Dennis and his wife Lori are based in Puyallup, Washington.
