31 August 2024

A New Bangladesh Is Emerging But It Needs India Too

Muqtedar Khan and Umme Salma Tarin

The overthrow of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by a sustained student-led protest has plunged Bangladesh into violent chaos. But there is a promise that a more democratic and more economically equal Bangladesh could emerge from this chaos, labeled by some as the “Second Revolution.”

While there are far-reaching domestic political and economic consequences of this uprising, we focus on one of the key geopolitical issues, Bangladesh-India relations, that will have both short-term and long-term impact on what will eventually be “new” in the new Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina’s rule was mixed; it produced economic growth and development, but her government eventually also became increasingly more authoritarian and undemocratic, even at times downright oppressive. It was also perceived as corrupt, and the benefits of the economic development seemed to accrue only to those who were aligned with her party. The resentment among those left behind eventually overflowed and overthrew Hasina, just months after her fourth electoral victory in January 2024.

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