The Guns of November
November 1975 was one of those months when, to paraphrase Lenin, decades happen. Fifty years on from that month of coup and counter-coup, we can hope that the guns have been forever silenced in Bangladesh, and that we will never again see rule from the cantonment.
Can Bangladesh Build a Truly Liberal Democratic Party?
We stand today at a critical juncture. The authoritarian state has collapsed, but the authoritarian mind endures. The struggle for democracy, therefore, is no longer against a regime -- it is against ourselves.
Gulshan Is Not Dhaka
If you attend these festivals, you owe it to yourself and to Dhaka to also step outside the gates. Don't be someone who celebrates local and artisanal only when it's packaged with a price tag and a velvet rope. Don't be someone who feels cultured because you paid for the privilege.
A New Bangladesh Must be Built on New Ideas
As we chart our future as an innovating nation, we must ask ourselves: Will we continue to be a nation that tolerates and even encourages heresy, heterodoxy and esoterism, or will we ignore the lessons of history and become a closed society, one that is hostile to new ideas?
A Question of Trust
Why is Bangladesh rushing a typhoid vaccine lacking sufficient -- in fact any -- efficacy data? This level of irresponsibility is unacceptable. We have the capacity to supply good-quality vaccines for the protection of our children, and this should be a national priority.
India’s Foreign Policy and the Game Theory of Power
India has made non-alignment and multi-lateralism the cornerstone of its foreign policy since independence. But now the time may be coming when it will have to choose a side.
The Guns of November
November 1975 was one of those months when, to paraphrase Lenin, decades happen. Fifty years on from that month of coup and counter-coup, we can hope that the guns have been forever silenced in Bangladesh, and that we will never again see rule from the cantonment.
Can Bangladesh Build a Truly Liberal Democratic Party?
We stand today at a critical juncture. The authoritarian state has collapsed, but the authoritarian mind endures. The struggle for democracy, therefore, is no longer against a regime -- it is against ourselves.
The Crisis of Liberal Politics in Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s politics stands today at a critical crossroads. If a new political force grounded in liberal values does not emerge, the state will inevitably drift further into extremism, fanaticism, and division.
What Can Commercial Banking Learn From Investment Banking?
Commercial banking in Bangladesh is dominated by relationship banking, which is what breeds irregularities. But the way forward lies in reform rather than rejection.
Is It Time for Bangladesh to Look Beyond the Dollar?
The time for action is now. Bangladesh must look beyond Western-dominated financial institutions and embrace a multipolar financial world that offers better terms, greater sovereignty, and sustainable development.
Gulshan Is Not Dhaka
If you attend these festivals, you owe it to yourself and to Dhaka to also step outside the gates. Don't be someone who celebrates local and artisanal only when it's packaged with a price tag and a velvet rope. Don't be someone who feels cultured because you paid for the privilege.
The Disguised Democracy of the Global South
Until democracy regains its moral soul -- until citizens can question without fear and leaders can lose power without vengeance -- it will remain a performance, not a principle. And if this performance continues, one morning we will awaken to discover that democracy has quietly turned into its opposite.
Ringing Out the Old, Ringing in the New
The conventional view of politics is an old-fashioned journey
11 Things You Need to Know About Enforced Disappearances and the Detention of Army Officers
Everything you wanted to know about the detention of the 15 army officers and the cases against them but were afraid to ask
We Need a National Artificial Intelligence Policy
We are already behind, but it is not too late and it need not continue to be that way. AI can help Bangladesh take a quantum leap into the future.
An Open Letter to WHO: You Knew Who Her Mother Was. Why Did You Wait?
The WHO placing Saima Wazed on "indefinite leave" is too little, too late. She should never have been given the post to begin with, and it should not have taken so long to remove her.
