Analysis

The July Charter is a Paper Shield

We need to close loopholes for unilateral amendments to the Constitution, otherwise the July Charter will not be worth the paper it is written on

An Economy for Every Bangladeshi: Reforming with Purpose

It is possible to create an economy that works for everyone. All that is needed is the vision and the political will to see it through.

The GCC Makes it Move

The reason that proxy militancy is being dismantled is simple. It is no longer useful in the new world order. This is just the first step in the rise of the GCC as it takes its seat at the big table.

The Economic Outlook Facing the Next Government

The interim government has done a creditable job stabilizing the economy and fixing the mess it inherited. But the incoming government is still going to have its work cut out for it, and we will need very safe hands to ensure that Bangladesh gets back on track.

Why NCP Didn’t Sign the July Charter

NCP’s hesitation is an act of political commitment to the people of Bangladesh. It seeks to ensure that Bangladesh’s long-awaited democratic transformation is not undone by legal fragility or political opportunism.

The Impossible Yes/No Binary

How a Flawed Referendum Risks National Division

Looking at the July Charter and What Comes Next

What many observers miss in the drama surrounding the NCP boycott is the fact that the July Charter still represents a significant step along the way to implementing lasting reforms to Bangladesh’s broken political system.

Governing by Announcement

A contract which commits Bangladesh to a 30 year arrangement with foreign operators involving sensitive and vital parts of our national infrastructure is a contract an interim government with no official opposition should feel neither empowered not entitled to sign.

What Makes a Soldier? The Bangladesh Army Faces a Moral Catharsis

The army as an institution must not be tainted by the criminal misdeeds of a few. Those officers betrayed their sacred oath -- service before self, death before dishonour.

Dignity for Victims, Respect for the Armed Forces of Bangladesh

In the eyes of the law, liability is personal. A uniform is not a cloak of impunity, nor does the language of the law permit targeting the uniform to put an entire institution in the dock.

The Orchestrated Crash: Why Bangladesh’s Roads Are a Laboratory of Chaos

Traffic accidents and the devastation they wreak are not inevitable. We can fix this problem, if we have the will.

Bangladesh Needs to Beware of Agent Provacateurs

How do you spot an agent provocateur in the pay of our enemies? Easy. Look for someone trying to create a wedge between the military and the public. Look for someone inciting violence.

What Can We Learn From the Opinion Polls?

There is much to be learned from the surveys that have been done over the past year. But is anyone, especially the political parties, listening?

Killers Cannot Hide Behind the Uniform

There can be no mercy for those who were involved in enforced disappearances or extrajudicial killings. They must be brought to justice. Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to their victims.

Reading Tarique Rahman’s Words

His BBC interview does not announce a new manifesto; it announces a new temperament. It marks the return not merely of a politician but of a political tone long missing in Bangladesh -- calm, composed, and confident in the people’s intelligence

The Ballad of the Missing Bullets

Each missing gun is a potential shooting at a street corner, a robbery, a killing. As national elections approach, the fear is not hypothetical. It is Chekhov’s gun multiplied by a thousand: if a weapon hangs on the wall in Act I, it must go off by Act III. And Act III is the election.