Counterpoint

ART Is Not Perfect. But Bangladesh Must Stop Dreaming of a Permanent GSP.

Shafquat Rabbee

Global trade politics are changing. Reciprocity now matters far more in Washington than it once did.

Bangladesh First and the Geo-politics of Diversification

Afia Ibnat

Tarique Rahman’s expected Malaysia-China sequence is a necessary correction to an India-centric past. Malaysia gives the visit diplomatic balance and China gives it strategic weight. But the correction will only succeed if it produces a wider foreign-policy basket without chipping away at Bangladesh’s sovereign decision-making space.

When Generations Clash in the Classroom

Md. Yeasir Arafat

The generation gap becomes dangerous only when generations stop listening to one another. When experience and innovation walk side by side, education becomes what it is truly meant to be -- a bridge between the past and the future

The Importance of Being Accurate

Zeeshan Khan

The protection of life and liberty is a core constitutional and operational mandate of the Home Minister in Bangladesh. He directs key security forces, including the Border Guards Bangladesh, to ensure the physical safety and security of citizens.

Trapped by Revolutionary Fatigue

Ashraf Ud Doula

The NCP risks sliding into oblivion and losing its uniqueness by merging into the shadow of larger political interests. It must now undertake serious soul-searching about the long-term costs and benefits of its strategy.

On China Again -- Between Peace and Power

Jaglul Ahmed

The Chinese leaders learned it well, as was evident in his call to Mr. Trump in the opening remarks of Chinese Premier Mr. Xi Jinping, who urged him to avoid falling into the Thucydides trap and embrace peace for global prosperity. But at the close of the talk, the disturbing global concerns may be: is there a second Kissinger, or a President like Nixon, to achieve the same?

A Dangerous Corporate Trend

Tashzid Reza

Corporate success is increasingly measured by size rather than substance.

Assessing the Real Impact of the New Stimulus Package

Nasrin Sheely

Injecting fresh credit into such entities risks creating 'zombie firms' -- businesses that survive on subsidized finance but fail to generate sustainable returns.

Regulatory Flexibility In Banking: Growth Support or Risk Build-Up?

Tashzid Reza

In structural terms, the policy reflects an ongoing evolution in Bangladesh’s financial regulatory framework -- from rigid quantitative controls toward more dynamic, risk-sensitive calibration.

The Deadly Cost of Reckless Eating Habits

Raisa Mehzabeen

The future health of Bangladesh depends not only on hospitals and medicine, but also on kitchens, schools, policies, awareness, and everyday choices made by ordinary people.

AI and Global Job Disruption

Nasrin Sheely

AI systems still require human oversight, localization, compliance handling, data verification, exception resolution, and cultural adaptation. These are precisely the areas where developing countries may retain relevance.

The Collapse of Elderly Care

Fahima Hossain Muna

What is at stake is not only the health of individual patients, but the dignity of an entire ageing generation.

What Does Dr. Khalil's Victory Mean for Bangladesh?

Ashraf Ud Doula

At a time when Bangladesh has often found itself on the defensive internationally, this victory offers a welcome opportunity for national confidence and unity.

The Cat Who Wasn't Impressed

Zakir Kibria

The images of her with the cat and the milk aren't just pictures. They are a manifesto for a very specific kind of dignified living -- a life where glamour and domestic intimacy sit side-by-side, looking off into the middle distance, accepting the world exactly as it is.

The Silent Epidemic of Nicotine

Raisa Mehzabeen

Choosing to quit smoking is not merely about giving up a habit. It is about reclaiming health, protecting loved ones, and investing in a longer and healthier future.

Mnemonicide of a Crocodile

Zakir Kibria

When a person dies at a railway crossing, we do not abolish the railways. When a pilgrim is trampled at a religious gathering, we do not demolish the shrine. We install gates. We create safety protocols. We manage risk. In Bagerhat, none of this was attempted.

Justice That Can Produce a Judicially Sound Precedent

Mir Aftabuddin Ahmed

The legal proceedings unfolding after Ramisa Akhter’s rape, beheading, and murder should be anchored in a fundamental jurisprudential principle and not be designed to appease public emotion: Even in a high-profile case where guilt appears certain, due process is not a concession to the accused, but a guardrail protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system.

Twenty Priorities, One Reality

Mohammad A. Rab

The most important reforms, including tax modernization, banking-sector restructuring, and stronger central bank independence, remain incomplete. The coming budget will therefore be more than a financial document. It will be the first serious indication of whether the government intends to match cautious rhetoric with sustained reform.

Rewriting the Narrative? RAB’s Conduct in a Nation on Edge

Mirza R. Ahmad

In July 2024, when the entire country erupted in protest, when over 1,400 lives were lost, and when Dhaka became a city under siege, RAB did not revert to familiar patterns. They did not conduct midnight raids. They did not trigger mass disappearances. Instead, they acted as a containment force. That contrast is not just noteworthy, it is historic.

Three Million or Three Hundred Thousand?

Serajul I. Bhuiyan

Seeking a clearer understanding of history does not diminish the legacy of the Liberation War, but honors it more completely. A nation willing to examine its past with honesty shows confidence in its own story.

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.

Is a Second BNP Term in the Bag? Not So Fast.

Faisal Mahmud

Yes, economists may envy physicists and political scientists may envy economists. But, here, in a place as fluid and unpredictable as Bangladesh, there are moments when even the most elegant model benefits from being challenged by a journalist's imperfect, half-cooked antithesis.

The Rise of India’s Cockroach Janta Party

Arifur Rahaman

Gen Z is winning the internet through a combination of genuine grievance, cultural fluency, and the particular humor of people who have been told they are useless and decided to make art out of it.

America's Unfinished Business in Cuba

M A Hossain

Whether this moment produces genuine Cuban freedom or merely a new form of managed dependency will depend entirely on whether Washington wants a democratic Cuba or simply a compliant one. Those are very different objectives. And so far, the evidence suggests Washington hasn't quite decided which it's actually after.

Banking Crisis and Private Power

Jamil Iqbal

This piece talks about how bad loans, political patronage, and cosmetic accounting turned Bangladesh’s banks into a public crisis.

The Miracle and the Squeeze

Jamil Iqbal

This first article in a three-part series argues that Bangladesh’s celebrated growth story was always more fragile than it looked. Now that growth is slowing and investment is yielding less, the hidden costs of that model are becoming harder to ignore.

Capital Flight, Inequality, and Who Pays

Jamil Iqbal

This third article in a three-part series argues how wealth leaves the country, why the gains of growth narrow at the top, and what a fairer settlement would actually require.

The Identity Crisis of Bengali Muslims in Bangladesh

Selim Raihan

Ultimately, the challenge is not to choose between being Bengali and being Muslim. The real challenge is to recognize that both identities can co-exist within a broader vision of a democratic, pluralistic, and self-confident society.

Time for Industry and Academia to Read from the Same Playbook

Imran Rahman

There is a real gap between what universities teach, how students learn, and what employers increasingly need.

Why the World Watches but Rarely Acts

H.M. Nazmul Alam

The systems that govern the world are powerful, but they are not immutable. They derive their strength, in part, from acceptance, from the belief that they cannot be altered.

The J-Z Show| Episode 21

Zafar Sobhan

Jon Danilowicz and Zafar Sobhan discuss the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings, global and domestic political developments, and the wider implications of conflict—from historical reflections on war to the current tensions surrounding Iran.

The J-Z Show| Episode 20. Ceasefire

Zafar Sobhan

In this episode of “The J-Z Show,” hosts John Danilowicz and Zafar Sobhan examine the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran—and the fragile ceasefire currently at risk.

The J Z Show। Ep 19: Bangladesh's Post-Election Landscape and Regional Cooperation

Zafar Sobhan

Counterpoint Generations | Ep 10

Zafar Sobhan

In Episode 10 of Counterpoint Generations, Zafar Sobhan and Professor Rehman Sobhan examine a range of pressing legal and political developments shaping Bangladesh today.

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.