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<title>Counterpoint &#45; Asif Shahan</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/rss/author/asif-shahan</link>
<description>Counterpoint &#45; Asif Shahan</description>
<dc:language>en</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Copyright 2025 counterpoint&#45; All Rights Reserved.</dc:rights>

<item>
<title>A Note of Caution for BNP</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/A-Note-of-Caution</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/A-Note-of-Caution</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The party&#039;s political and economic actions are not converging or complementing each other, and instead the party is letting its economic vision lead the governing process without considering the political consequences. This is a risky bet and may not work. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:11:08 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>BNP, Reform, Executive</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The Future of Reform</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/the-future-of-reform</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/the-future-of-reform</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As a supporter of substantive reform within the political structure of this country, this dim scenario really makes me sad. And it also clarifies one thing: our failure has come from one major shortcoming -- we didn’t reach out to people. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:54:42 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Reform, politics. failure, success</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Democracy Without Teeth</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/Democracy-Without-Teeth</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/Democracy-Without-Teeth</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Ensuring accountability is the key, and a state cannot design a system, cannot create an institutional design where the only protection is a party&#039;s or an individual’s goodwill. A state’s guiding operational principle cannot be to be ruled by the angels. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:39:52 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Elections, BNP, Democracy</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>My Prediction About the Election</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/my-prediction</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/my-prediction</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Jamaat can only win if this is a wave election, signaling a tectonic shift in the national mood. There is little evidence of this in the polls and available data. It is possible, but not probable. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:03:30 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Election, BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Is Honesty Alone What We Want in a Leader?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/is-honesty-alone-what-we-want-in-a-leader</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/is-honesty-alone-what-we-want-in-a-leader</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ To understand whether an individual is honest, we need to know whether that person is committed to alternation of power, whether he understands the value of inclusivity and dissent, whether he knows that people with different ideas live within the same society, and whether he is willing to let them survive, grow, and challenge him. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:16:15 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Election, Honesty, Jamaat</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Are We Looking at a February Surprise?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/are-we-looking-at-a-february-surprise</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/are-we-looking-at-a-february-surprise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As we enter the final phase before elections Jamaat-e-Islami may be poised to win far more votes than previously predicted. There is still time for BNP to regain the momentum if it appreciates the situation and pivots accordingly. But there is little evidence that it does so. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:37:25 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jamaaat-e-Islami, BNP, Election</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>No, the Reform Process is not Meaningless, and We Need to See it Through</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/no-the-reform-process-is-not-meaningless-and-we-need-to-see-it-through</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/no-the-reform-process-is-not-meaningless-and-we-need-to-see-it-through</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It is unfortunate that most civil society organizations have failed to recognize that these reforms could open new pathways for them -- creating fresh opportunities to empower citizens and strengthen the accountability of state institutions, ultimately shaping their own future governance agenda. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 13:40:28 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Reform, Upper House</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>No, an Upper Chamber Will Not Lead to a Hung Parliament</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/no-an-upper-chamber-will-not-lead-to-a-hung-parliament</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/no-an-upper-chamber-will-not-lead-to-a-hung-parliament</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The July Charter is quite clear: The proposed Upper Chamber will not have the power to block legislation, and the question of leading to a hung parliament does not even arise. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 12:48:35 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Upper House</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The July Uprising and Its Aftermath</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/the-july-uprising-and-its-aftermath-how-revolutionary-aspiration-became-an-elite-settlement</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/the-july-uprising-and-its-aftermath-how-revolutionary-aspiration-became-an-elite-settlement</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ How revolutionary aspiration transformed into an elite settlement ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2025 19:51:50 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>July Uprising, Interim Government, Election</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The Far&#45;Right Spectre and a Liberal Politician</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/THE-FAR-RIGHT-SPECTRE-AND-A-LIBERAL-POLITICIAN</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/THE-FAR-RIGHT-SPECTRE-AND-A-LIBERAL-POLITICIAN</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Mirza Fakhrul raised an important and honest concern about the growing influence of extreme right-wing ideas. Instead of blaming him, we should be talking about it. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:16:03 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords></media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Relative Strength, Absolute Stubbornness: Mapping the Politics of Deadlock</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/Relative-Strength%2C-Absolute-Stubbornness%3A-Mapping-the-Politics-of-Deadlock</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/Relative-Strength%2C-Absolute-Stubbornness%3A-Mapping-the-Politics-of-Deadlock</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If we are serious about democracy, the path of confrontation must be abandoned. Someone must blink -- not to lose face, but to lead. It is time to reimagine strength not as stubbornness, but as the courage to compromise. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2025 05:28:15 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>BNP, NCP PR</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>BNP Needs to Play the Long Game</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/bnp-needs-to-play-the-long-game</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/bnp-needs-to-play-the-long-game</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ PR-based upper house is not only good for the country, it will serve BNP&#039;s interest as well. The sooner the party understands why opposing PR is self-defeating, the better for everyone. Most crucially, for itself. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2025 10:28:33 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords></media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Politics has changed once again</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/politics-has-changed-once-again-asif-shahan</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/politics-has-changed-once-again-asif-shahan</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ We have an uneasy truce but still a long way to go. If the BNP doesn&#039;t understand that a bare minimum of reform is necessary to end the impasse, give it legitimacy , and help set the table for good governance, then the nation will lose, including BNP. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2025 09:09:21 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Asif Shahan</dc:creator>
<media:keywords></media:keywords>
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