Analysis

The Cold Chain Question We are Not Asking

Only through a combined approach -- strengthened technical capacity, strict regulation, and informed public awareness -- can we ensure that vaccines retain their full effectiveness from manufacturer to patient, and that preventable tragedies are avoided.

Malaysia First, Then China

This is not a government choosing China over India, or East Asia over the West. Rather, Dhaka is trying to keep every door open for as long as the money keeps coming in and as long as no single lender or ally claims it exclusively.

The World Hanging on a Bamboo Pole

The distance between Bangladesh and the World Cup cannot be measured in kilometres. It is measured in institutions, accountability, planning, and political will. Perhaps one day, when the World Cup comes around again, one flag on that bamboo pole will sell just a little more than the rest.

Promised Work, Deployed to War

An unknown number of Bangladeshi young men whose families parted with savings of 10 lakh taka or more for the prospect of a better life for them, find themselves on a distant frontline in a war they never chose, in a country whose language they cannot speak, and fighting for a side they were never asked to join.

Morality Before Democracy

Democracy survives not because leaders are always virtuous, but because citizens possess the courage and awareness to resist injustice.

Europe's Defence Dilemma in an Era of American Retrenchment

A more self-reliant Europe could also stimulate greater defence-industrial cooperation, increased arms exports, and new opportunities for technological and industrial partnerships with smaller states. It may ultimately contribute to a more multipolar international security environment in which European powers exercise greater strategic influence.

Pakistan is No Longer in South Asia. Why Does it Matter to Bangladesh?

By placing Pakistan in MENAAP, the World Bank is giving institutional weight to this development path, one centred on migration, remittances, energy dependence, external finance and rentier capital. Pakistan’s reclassification is not Bangladesh’s crisis, but it is Bangladesh’s warning.

Beijing Before Delhi

The significance of this visit lies in whether Dhaka brings the political alignment and focused preparation to match it. The advance preparation of specific project proposals, the investment conference architecture, and the push on FTA negotiations suggest it does.

No One Wins in the Myanmar Civil War

The tragedy in Myanmar will not stop, the junta rules a hollow state, the rebels hold territory but don’t have a future vision moving forward.

Two Weeks to Sharpen Bangladesh’s AI Budget

The budget should tie its connectivity targets to affordability so that rural and low-income citizens can actually use what is being built, not just live within range of it.

Journalism Beyond Professionalism

However critical we may be, the role of the Indian media is noteworthy in the recent remarks of the ex-Chief Minister of West Bengal made on the case of Hadi killings. They collectively refrained, through mainstream and social media, from broadcasting the news publicly to preserve their national interests.

The Bedsheet Theory of Women's Success

A political culture that cannot imagine women as independent political actors inevitably returns to patriarchy's oldest explanation: If a woman has succeeded, she must have traded her body for power. That explanation tells us very little about women. But it tells us almost everything about the society that produces it.

The Fossil Fuel Paradox

Climate activists paint a dire picture of rising temperatures devastating crops and fueling famine, but they are mostly wrong. Climate change will alter farming conditions, benefiting some areas, challenging others, with a net negative but negligible impact.

New Pay Structure, Old Problem

A higher public-sector wage bill may be justified, but without revenue reform and administrative restructuring, it could narrow Bangladesh's fiscal space for years to come.

The Case for Selling the Family Silver

Bangladesh does not need a government that owns everything. It needs a government that has the political will to solve issues from the perspective of its citizens and not of the ruling class.

The Cobra Effect Lesson

Humans are not passive recipients of incentives; they are active interpreters who respond creatively, strategically, and sometimes opportunistically.