Bangladesh’s geopolitical and geostrategic importance have grown bringing an ‘opportune moment’ for the country but it must be ‘very careful’ in making its choices, says an international political analyst, reports UNB. On the other hand, an economist says Bangladesh needs to search for a new paradigm of ‘balanced autonomous developmental diplomacy’ that matches the three core principles of Bangladesh’s proclamation of independence—equality, human dignity and social justice. Chair of Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University Prof Ali Riaz said the efforts to include Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative of Japan, the OBOR (One Belt One Road) of China and the Naya Disha policy of India point to the fact that Bangladesh’s geopolitical and geostrategic importance have grown. “Both the geographical location and the economic growth of the country in the past two decades are to be credited for the attention it is now receiving,” he told the news agency.
It is equally important to keep in mind that the centre of global economic activities is shifting to Asia, said Prof Riaz adding that Bangladesh should not let the opportune moment go by.
Explaining why Bangladesh must be ‘very careful’ in making its choices, he explained because none of these initiatives are devoid of the strategic objectives of these countries.
“It’s not only a matter of balancing among these three but also necessary to consider the future trajectories,” said the political analyst.
He thinks the long-term interests of the country should dictate the nature, scope and degree of engagements; decisions based on immediate political gains or ad-hoc measures will be immensely harmful.
“These issues warrant public discussions and involvement of all political forces, citizens and the members of the civil society. Unfortunately, currently environment for such conversation is absent in the country; decisions are taken without transparency and accountability,” Prof Riaz observed.
Bangladesh sits at the heart of a geostrategic polity, bordered with India to its west and separated states of the former’s northeast, Myanmar to the southeast, laying access to Asean countries and China, and separated from Nepal and Bhutan by the chicken’s neck corridor, with the Bay of Bengal in the South, connecting a vast majority of the world’s nations and population.
“The question faces Bangladesh: Does it have a strategy to translate such potentials into reality? This begs a further question: how does she make a delicate act of endurance to harness its demographics and strategically locational hub?” economist Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir told UNB.
Dr Rashed, also a Dhaka University professor, said first of all, to call a long-term relationship of trade, aid and investment are a ‘strategy’ might go a step too far.
Secondly, he said, a support to the ‘core’ interest is part of a mosaic and thirdly, the tilt towards countries and grouping may lead to vulnerability.
“A balancing act with national interest at the core is not an impossible task. All this require Bangladesh to search for new paradigm of ‘Balanced Autonomous Developmental Diplomacy,” said Dr Rashed, also Chairperson, the Unnayan Onneshan, an interdisciplinary think tank. He said the challenge is to establish a new sense of multilateralism of live and let live, dwarfing certain coteries’ hawkish tendencies surrounding with so-called ‘String of Pearls, Necklace of Diamond and mobilisation in the Indian Ocean.’