Bangladesh must reset ties with India amid growing complexities: Report
Dhaka, Jan 29 (LatestNewsX) Bangladesh must pursue calibrated and interest-based bilateralism to maintain a “dignified, equitable, and mutually beneficial” bilateral relationship with India and other South Asian neighbours, guided by the respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, and the principle of a “no-harm-to-each-other-or-to-a-third-party”, a report said on Thursday.
Writing for Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, Humayun Kabir, President of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) and a former Bangladeshi diplomat, said that given the growing complexities in South Asia, it is imperative for Bangladesh to assess the value of its relationships with both immediate and extended neighbours, aligning them with national interest as well as shared needs and common priorities.
“In the post-July 2024 situation, Bangladesh has been facing several new strategic realities. At the domestic level, a generational shift has been redefining the political landscape and articulating the urge for justice as well as an equitable economic order. The graduation of Bangladesh in 2026 will again frame and reset our external relations with practically all partners. Such a reset will obviously demand corresponding reforms in many areas of our domestic policy and practices. Old mindsets and behaviours may have little relevance in the evolving actualities,” Kabir detailed.
“At the same time, several layers of geopolitical challenges are also greeting Bangladesh on the external front. The growing interest of global and regional powers in domestic issues and their tendency to view them through a geopolitical lens, have added a new dimension of complexity. There is already strain between Bangladesh and India, and this tension is beginning to affect the broader geopolitical landscape,” he added.
According to the report, against the backdrop of the recent changes in Bangladesh, the need for global reputation management has assumed renewed significance.
“While it is easy to blame others for many of our problems, it is important to pay attention to how we define ourselves, what priorities we set for ourselves as a nation, how we pursue them, and what kind of company we keep. In the world of statecraft and diplomacy, signals, narratives, gestures, and initiatives can frame perception, which in many cases may shape reality as well,” it noted
The report further said, “Playing a role in addressing non-traditional security issues, such as climate change, transnational crimes like drug smuggling and extremism, disaster management, migration issues, and humanitarian initiatives, could perhaps enhance the regional and global standing of Bangladesh.”
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