Posts

The Architecture of the Global Knowledge Economy

The central question is no longer whether knowledge matters. It is who governs its movement, who benefits from its creation, and whether emerging economies will remain sites of extraction in a global knowledge marketplace or become sovereign producers within it.

Are Women Voters behind Jamaat’s Electoral Success?

Jamaat’s political ecosystem has long been associated, at least in public discourse, with moral policing and deeply conservative positions on women’s roles. It would represent a significant social shift if large numbers of women, especially younger ones who have faced online and offline harassment from JIB affiliated groups, were now turning toward the party.

The Other Side of the Remittance Story

Remittance inflows are not merely a function of diaspora goodwill or seasonal rituals; they are the mirror image of confidence in the domestic market’s fairness and functionality.

The Long Road to the Prime Minister’s Office

A two-thirds parliamentary majority means nothing if the streets of Dhaka turn against you, as Sheikh Hasina learned. If Tarique governs with the same composure and restraint he has shown since his return, there is reason for hope. If he does not, the verdict of the streets will be swift.

They Knew

Who is the Facebook or Instagram of this era? Which AI platforms are being deployed into children’s bedrooms, classrooms and social lives without full transparency about internal research? Which companies are already measuring how certain prompts, filters or recommendation engines affect adolescent self-image, loneliness, or compulsive use?

AI and Bangladesh: A Turning Point for Development

If Bangladesh treats artificial intelligence simply as another digital tool, it risks falling behind in a world where advantage increasingly rests on capability and commodified intelligence rather than labour alone.

Beyond the F-Word

Calling it fascism narrows our field of vision. It directs us toward interwar Europe -- uniforms, total mobilization, ideological conquest -- when our own trajectory resembles something different.

The Power of a Truly Elected Government

In the final analysis, a truly elected government is powerful not because it controls the state machinery, but because it commands the consent of the governed. That consent, however, is not permanent; it must be earned every day through performance, integrity, and humility.

The Rule of Law

We want to live in a country where the jails are not filled with innocent men and women. This is a basic measure of the probity of any government. This is the rule of law. If there is one thing that the government can deliver for the Bangladeshi people it is this.

Electric Dreams and Neon Hearts

From Victorian automata to today’s AI girlfriend apps, we have sought to mechanize intimacy, to distill love into algorithms. This musing traces that arc, using Joi as a lodestar to navigate the shadows of desire, capitalism, and digital isolation.

Epstein, Redactions, and the Theatre of Accountability

The Epstein files test a basic democratic claim: That no one is above the law. If the outcome is curated transparency, where victims are exposed and the influential are obscured, the test will have been failed. If the outcome is a victim-centred process, the files might finally serve the purpose they were invoked to serve

No Prince Above the Law: What Bangladesh Can Learn From Andrew's Arrest

Andrew's arrest is a reminder -- imperfect, belated, incomplete -- that has sometimes been possible for a society to rebalance kinship and the law so that even the most protected men eventually face the consequences of their actions.

William B Milam, a Diplomat and a Scholar

Only a genuine friend would share his thoughts and his words of wisdom in the larger interest of Bangladesh and its people with such clarity. William B Milam was one such friend.

An Open Letter to Tarique Rahman

Your service to the nation can only continue if your well-being is safeguarded. Ultimately, the responsibility also rests with the state’s security apparatus, particularly those entrusted with your protection. When credible threats are perceived, it becomes their duty to act decisively.

Counterpoint Generations | Ep 9

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.

Professor Yunus Leaves on a High Note

Today, 18 months later, as the nation takes stock of the past and looks at the future, it is an opportunity to evaluate the performance and legacy of Muhammad Yunus and his Interim Government. The performance and work of the Interim government, despite some shortcomings, must be commended, perhaps even celebrated.