Jon F. Danilowicz is a retired American diplomat of the Department of State
One did not have to agree with everything that Hadi said to admire him and to believe that he would play an important role in building Bangladesh 2.0. The best way to honor his memory is to help realize his dream of a new Bangladesh.
Bangladesh needs to develop a national security strategy that forms the basis for decisions on the investments that will be needed to properly train and equip civilian law enforcement agencies, who need to be depoliticized and professionalized, as well as the country’s armed forces.
Too much of Bangladesh’s politics still focuses on history while its citizens repeatedly indicate that they are more interested in what will happen to the country in the coming years
The RT interview came in the midst of a concerted public relations blitz by Hasina and her supporters, which included a number of interviews from the deposed Prime Minister to friendly Indian media outlets.
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.
In the coming weeks and months, there are likely to be other similar confrontations involving rival political factions as elections approach. The pro-democracy forces need to understand this and avoid playing into the hands of those who want to turn back the clock.
Contrary to confident public pronouncements by commentators, the Bangladesh-America relationship remains strong and is poised to reach new heights in the future
Bangladesh’s debate about a humanitarian corridor highlight broader issues
