Dhaka has deepened military ties with Turkey while normalizing relations with Pakistan. This commitment towards strategic autonomy unsettles security planners in New Delhi, who view the accumulation of these moves as a potential erosion of Indian influence in the Bay of Bengal.
Some analysts argue that Hasina may continue to serve as a strategic political asset in India’s Bangladesh policy, reflecting a Kautilyan approach that could be summarised as: “You have China; we have Hasina.”
As the new representatives go about setting up a government (which, the way the cumbersome Nepali system is structured, might be two weeks away in mid-March), it is now time for reflections, analyses and speculation.
