BNP is almost certainly coming to power sooner rather than later. But that may just be the beginning of its real problems.
How to turn the tariff threat into a strategic opportunity through a bold US-Bangladesh partnership agenda
When justice is replaced by selective rage, even agents of hope risk becoming architects of chaos -- threatening the very foundation of the New Bangladesh.
The Trump-backed BBB law increases debt, helps the rich, and cuts healthcare, food aid, and clean energy support for millions of poor Americans. It also raises military and deportation spending, weakening the US economy and risking global financial stability.
Zia does not get enough recognition for just how ground-breaking his private sector-led growth strategy was for a country in the Global South in the 1970s
The DP World deal could be a game-changer for Bangladesh. We need to not let vested interests or shallow nativism trip us up.
Orthodox macroeconomic policies are having desired effects, with the exchange rate and the central bank’s stock of reserves stabilizing even as import restrictions have been lifted. Higher interest rates have had a dampening effect on economic activities, but very strong remittances have supported household consumption, while exports and public demand also contributed to growth. The economic recovery had started by summer, though pockets of weakness remain, particularly in private investment consumption.
Bangladesh has a large, talented youth population eager to study and contribute abroad. The US should double its student intake from Bangladesh to tap into this potential, boost its economy, and strengthen long-term partnerships.
From global isolation to internal collapse, a reckoning is coming.
We have still to define a national identity for Bangladesh, and we need a national dialogue on the matter or we will remain a fractured people.
If reforms are to pass, then all the political parties need to own them and feel that they have taken the lead and not that it was something forced upon them. Reforms the parties believe are imposed on them are destined to fail.
Bangladesh now stands at the threshold between gridlock and reconstruction — the Chief Adviser must set a specific month for the upcoming elections and do so without hesitation.
On the occasion of Zia’s 44th martyrdom anniversary, I express my hope that everyone involved will engage in long, dispassionate, and objective research on Zia’s role during the Liberation War.
What happens when history is turned into an instrument not of understanding, but of coercion, sanctification, and political legitimacy? Across continents and ideologies, regimes and ruling parties have wielded history not just to remember, but to silence, not to teach, but to control.
The only meaningful item remaining on the reform agenda is whether an Upper House should be based on PR or not. Everything else can be sorted out without difficulty. We are closer to consensus than you think.
Soon we will no longer be able to rely on Prof Yunus's global reputation to smooth things over with allies and adversaries alike. It is time for Bangladesh to invest in its diplomatic capacity. The future belongs to those who can skillfully maneuver on the world stage.
