Counterpoint

Is the UN Becoming Irrelevant?

Md Mustafizur Rahman

If the UN cannot prevent wars, cannot restrain powerful states, or even name the aggressors, then the world must confront an uncomfortable question: Is the United Nations still fulfilling its founding mission?

What Nelson Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Offers Bangladesh Today

A Gafur

South Africa’s experience shows that legitimacy depends on perceived impartiality and transparency from day one. For a country at the crossroads, that is an invitation worth considering.

Why Bangladesh’s Women’s Movement Must Include Men

Asif Saleh

Frustration, when it has nowhere constructive to go, seeks a target. Too often, women become that target -- online through harassment and abuse, offline through control, intimidation, or violence.

From the Strait of Hormuz to Dhaka: Oil, Remittances and Geopolitical Aftershocks

Mahir Tajwar Khan Herok

International law and global stability are not distant abstractions for Bangladesh but essential pillars of economic resilience and national planning.

The Strategic Risks of the Iran Conflict

Mustafa Kamal Rusho

For the first time in decades, the United States risks strategic isolation within its own alliance network. If the United States is perceived as an unreliable negotiating partner, future mediation efforts -- both in the Middle East and beyond -- may suffer.

A Relationship Deeper Than Headlines Suggest

Rishi Suri

Unlike many bilateral relationships in South Asia that are defined by rivalry, the India-Bangladesh relationship began with cooperation and solidarity. That legacy continues to shape perceptions and policy even today.

Can Bangladesh Resurrect Saarc?

Naziba Mustabshira

Reviving Saarc is a Sisyphean task, but it is one Bangladesh is uniquely positioned to undertake. In a world of hardening blocs, South Asia cannot afford to be the only region without a voice.

From Collateral to Customers: Rethinking Capital Allocation in Bangladesh

Waseem Alim

The country has already demonstrated remarkable resilience and creativity in its economic journey -- from garments to remittances to microfinance. The next chapter will require an equally bold shift in how capital is allocated.

Economic Crosswinds: The Taka Faces New Global Pressures

Asif Khan

While the duration of the conflict and the peak of oil prices remain unpredictable, there is a silver lining. Analysts note that the BDT is not as significantly overvalued today as it was in 2022. Consequently, any potential "crash" or magnitude of depreciation is expected to be much lower than the volatility witnessed two years ago.

When Transition Becomes a Gendered Battlefield

Lubna Ferdowsi

Bangladesh does not lack visible women, women in campaigns, women in commemorative posters, women seated at consultation tables, women repeatedly invoked in speeches. But visibility without authority is not empowerment; it is performance.

Against All Odds

Yasin Shafi

To return to democracy, we endured another undemocratic government after removing one. During this time, there were many human rights violations, many provocations. The people of Bangladesh gritted their teeth and waited for stability.

The Lost Art of Getting Lost: How Smartphones Messed Up Our Mental Maps

Zakir Kibria

We now know exactly where we are, but we have lost all sense of where we could be.

What the Interim Government Gave Bangladesh

Farhana Sultana

What Dr. Yunus and his team of advisers stepped into was not a functioning state awaiting a caretaker, it was institutional wreckage requiring reconstruction.  What followed was a period of institution-building that, whatever its imperfections, deserves recognition.

An Open Letter to Barrister Zaima Rahman

Ashraf Ud Doula

Whatever path you ultimately choose, I offer you my sincere best wishes. May your journey ahead be guided by wisdom, courage, and purpose -- and may it be as smooth and fulfilling as destiny permits.

The Politics of Responsibility and Compassion

Jyoti Rahman

Every Muslim knows the phrase Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim -- the most Beneficent, the most Compassionate. Can we reorient our moral compass towards the politics of responsibility and compassion?

10 Questions for Bobby Hajjaj

Omar Shehab

The education system of Bangladesh is not merely a ministry. It is one of the largest social systems in the world. Running such a system is not simply a policy challenge. It is an administrative challenge of almost unimaginable scale.

The Myth of Rohingya Aid Dependency

Shafiur Rahman

The Rohingya are not “fully dependent” on anyone. They are dependent only to the extent that they have been made dependent -- by design, by policy, and by a system that manages dependency rather than ending it.

Judicial Reform Scheme -- From Plan to Practice

Millat Hossain

Comprehensive reform of the judicial system has emerged as a major national demand.

The Extremely Sustainable Lifestyle of the Burnt-Out Feminist

Sushmita S Preetha

Though the International Brotherhood of Mediocre Men appears to be doing a competent job of setting the world on literal fire, feminists remain the preferred explanation for why everything is burning.

How to Fix Education

Rubaiya Murshed

I write not to add another idea to the pile, but to argue for changing how we decide which ideas deserve the limelight. The answer lies in redesigning the system of decision-making itself -- clarifying who decides, how decisions are made, and how public money is allocated.

Too Shallow to Dive

Shanim Tasnim

I’m not against using AI, I never was. I just want you to use it cautiously. Because the more you are replacing AI with your own mind, the more it will take space in your soul. If we keep asking AI solutions for every simple problem, our mind will become too fragile to face challenges.

The Iran War and Resilience of Bangladesh

Jaglul Ahmed

Both the USA and Israel have adopted evasive strategies influenced by various factors, such as diverting attention from the Epstein scandal, preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon despite Iran repeatedly denying its intent through negotiations in Geneva, the potential failure of Trump’s MAGA project, and notably, projecting a false sense of control over Iran before Trump’s visit to China to gain bargaining leverage. The length of the conflict will depend on the conflicting attitudes of the USA and Iran’s determination to withstand the war.

Nepal Elections Aftermath: Schadenfreude, Hopes and Apprehensions

Dipak Gyawali

As the new representatives go about setting up a government (which, the way the cumbersome Nepali system is structured, might be two weeks away in mid-March), it is now time for reflections, analyses and speculation.

Coups, Countercoups, and the Politics of Power

Nafew Sajed Joy

Coups are not accidents. They are outcomes of institutional design shaped by fear, mistrust, and the imperative of survival. Bangladesh’s history, from 1975’s cascading coups to 2007’s indirect intervention, shows how the struggle to control the guardians of the state can redefine politics itself.

The Shingara as a Geopolitical Testimony

Zakir Kibria

On gravity, and those who bear its weight.

From Raids to Reform: Why Bangla QR is the Real Solution to Market Opacity

Tashzid Reza

The transition from cash to digital is not merely a technological shift; it is an institutional reform. It requires aligning incentives, building trust, and modernizing infrastructure. But the alternative -- continuing cycles of raids, fines, allegations of harassment, and persistent opacity -- offers little hope for sustainable market discipline.

The Looming Persian Storm: Why Bangladesh Cannot Afford to Defy Economic Gravity Again

Rushad Faridi

A prolonged conflict in the Middle East would likely trigger a slump in consumer demand in Western markets, leaving the RMG sector vulnerable to the dual blow of dwindling orders and the logistical nightmare of disrupted maritime routes.

The Straw-Woman Fallacy

Shanim Tasnim

Feminism has become a new F-word. But let's at least debate the issues that women are really talking about and demanding rather than a patriarchal projection of what men think women want and demanding.

Unlearning Obedience

Azeema Anhar Humaira

We’re tired of being told to wait. We’re tired of being told to be reasonable. We’re tired of being told to consider the reputations of men, the stability of institutions, the sensitivities of cultures. We’re tired of the same headlines feeling like déjà vu.

Bangladesh Chose Normal Over Revolutionary, and That Tells Us Everything

Faruq Hasan

Voters opted for political change at a moment of acute economic strain and fraying public security. They desperately want stability and tangible economic recovery. That's what they voted for. That's what they now expect to receive in return.

The J Z Show। Ep 18 । Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

The J Z Show। Ep 15 । Md Rubaiyath Sarwar | Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

The J Z Show। Ep 13 । Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

Tarique Rahman's Homecoming and New Political Alignments

Counterpoint Generations | Ep 9

Zafar Sobhan

Episode 9 of Counterpoint Generations reflects on the immediate post-election landscape, examining voter participation, the formation of the new cabinet, and the institutional challenges facing the incoming government as parliament prepares to begin its term.

Counterpoint Generations | Ep 8

Zafar Sobhan

In Episode 8 of Counterpoint Generations, the discussion explores Bangladesh’s electoral journey from the 1970 election to the present, examining how voting behaviour, political participation, and institutions have evolved over time. The episode also addresses contemporary questions around minority voting patterns, and why opinion polls often fail to predict real outcomes. A reflective conversation on elections, uncertainty, and democratic change.

Counterpoint Generations | EP 7 | Professor Rehman Sobhan | Zafar Sobhan

Zafar Sobhan

In Episode 7 of Counterpoint Generations, Zafar Sobhan and Professor Rehman Sobhan discuss Manchester United’s recent win, revisit how their shared love for football began, and reflect on the current state of global and Bangladeshi football.