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BANGLADESH
New York: February, 4, 2026. Bangladesh’s upcoming election will decide more than who governs next; it will shape how the country manages its foreign relations at a time of regional tension and global realignment.
NEW YORK: Bangladesh is at a tense critical point, with political, social, and diplomatic currents colliding just a week before the elections. Recent reports, including one by The Washington Post, have stirred controversy after a diplomat reportedly spoke to a couple of female journalists about potential cooperation with Jamaat Islami if the party swing in election and comes to power.
Diplomatic Exchange Follows U.S. Ambassador’s China Remarks in Dhaka
IPW Report: New York, January 28, 2026
During his first interaction with the Bangladeshi press, newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Brent T. Christensen outlined Washington’s position on Bangladesh’s upcoming national election while also commenting on wider regional dynamics, including China’s role in South Asia.
Dhaka Declaration: Higher Education as South Asia’s New Platform
By Tanvir Rusmat,Dhaka, Jan 20, 2026
The Dhaka Declaration, adopted at a recently concluded South Asian higher education conference, has drawn attention not only for its academic ambitions but also for its wider political and international implications for the region.
Bangladesh Raises Concerns Over Cyber Job Trafficking to Myanmar
IPW Desk, Dhaka, 27 January, 2026, Bangladesh has reported that several of its citizens were trafficked to Myanmar after being lured by fraudulent overseas job offers in cyber and IT-related fields. According to returnees, they were recruited online, travelled through Thailand, and were later taken into Myanmar, where they were allegedly forced to work in cyber scam operations under pressure.
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, January 26, 2026
With Bangladesh heading toward a pivotal national election on February 12, international attention has increasingly shifted from domestic political contestation to the country’s place in a widening global rivalry.
Will Work With Whoever Wins Election, Says US Ambassador
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, January 25, 2026
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen has said that Washington does not support any particular political party in Bangladesh and is committed to working with whichever government is elected in the February 12 general elections.
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Jan 27, 2026
Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has ended in controversy after a decisive vote at the International Cricket Council (ICC) effectively excluded the team from the tournament. The decision has triggered sharp debate across the global cricket community, with analysts arguing it reflects not sporting considerations but the growing dominance of politics, power and diplomacy in international cricket.
IPW- COMMENTARY
Why US and UK Advisories Focus on Bangladesh’s Hill Tracts Ahead of Elections
IPW Commentary, New York, January 27, 2026
As Bangladesh approaches its upcoming elections, the United States and the United Kingdom have issued travel advisories
U.S. Ambassador Christensen Sends Strategic Signals on U.S. Priorities in South Asia from Dhaka
IPW Report, Dhaka, New York, January 21, 2026.
As Bangladesh approaches a national election, recent remarks by United States Ambassador Brent T. Christensen offer insight into Washington’s intentions for Bangladesh and its broader regional strategy.
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Bangladesh, for its part, would do well to avoid reflexive responses driven by short-term optics NewYork: January 21, 2026: Recent media reports have highlighted a precautionary advisory issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, asking the families and dependents of certain Indian officials
Rohingya crisis: from humanitarian responsibility to security risk for Bangladesh
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Jan 20, 2026
The Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh is increasingly moving beyond the bounds of a humanitarian issue and emerging as a national security and regional geopolitical challenge.
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Jan 13, 2026
Bangladesh is navigating a delicate path in defence diplomacy, balancing deepening cooperation with the United States while maintaining long-standing military ties with China. As strategic competition between Washington and Beijing intensifies across the Indo-Pacific, Dhaka’s effort to preserve autonomy is becoming increasingly complex and consequential.
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, January 12, 2026
Pakistan’s exploration of a defense pact with Bangladesh, including the potential sale of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, marks a significant development in South Asian security dynamics, with implications extending well beyond bilateral ties to regional rival India.
Bangladesh’s economic geopolitics: foreign policy recalculated for survival
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Jan 13, 2026
Bangladesh’s foreign policy is increasingly being reshaped by economic necessity rather than traditional diplomatic considerations. Prolonged global inflation, tightening financial conditions, dollar shortages, and growing external debt have significantly constrained Dhaka’s policy choices. As a result, economic survival has emerged as the dominant driver of Bangladesh’s international engagement, placing the country at a critical economic-geopolitical juncture.
For a short time, South Asia’s specific tensions between India and Bangladesh appeared to soften. The death of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia
Boeing Wins Biman Aircraft Deal as European Diplomatic Push Falls Short
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, 5 January, 2026
Bangladesh has decided in principle to procure 14 aircraft from US aerospace giant Boeing, ending a prolonged and diplomatically charged contest between American
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, December 6, 2026
US President Donald Trump has reignited debate over immigration and welfare after publishing a list showing the proportion of immigrant households receiving government assistance in the United States. The chart, shared on his social media platform Truth Social, places Bangladesh among the countries with the highest rates of welfare reliance, drawing particular attention in South Asia.
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Jan 6, 2026
Bangladesh is set to officially graduate from the United Nations’ Least Developed Country (LDC) category on 24 November 2026. The country qualified for graduation after meeting the required thresholds in three consecutive assessments by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), based on per capita income, the Human Assets Index, and the Economic and Environmental Vulnerability Index.
Washington’s Calculated Choice: Brent Christensen and U.S. Strategy in Bangladesh
Anwar Shahadat, New York, 30, 2025
The appointment of Brent T. Christensen as the United States Ambassador to Bangladesh comes at a politically sensitive and strategically significant moment.
Bangladesh Under Persistent Strain: Political Turbulence and the Hard Reality of Diplomacy in 2025
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka | Dec 31, 2025
Bangladesh entered 2025 facing one
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, December 30, 2025
The Afghan Taliban government has been actively pursuing what it describes as an “economic diplomacy” strategy, seeking to expand relations with a wide range of countries to gain international legitimacy and attract trade and investment.
Thailand–Cambodia Clashes Expose Growing Security Strain in Indochina, Raising Strategic Stakes for Bangladesh
TBy Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Dec 24, 2025
Renewed security tensions in the Indochina region are drawing international attention as clashes along the Thailand–Cambodia border intersect with broader geopolitical rivalries, domestic pressures, and weak regional crisis-management mechanisms. While the confrontation appears outwardly as a localized border dispute, diplomats and analysts increasingly view it as part of a gradual strategic realignment in mainland Southeast Asia—one with direct implications for South Asia, including Bangladesh.
REPORT SAYS POST-ELECTION PERIOD OFFERS CHANCE FOR DAMAGE CONTROL AND RESET
Anwar Shahadat, New York, 24, 2025.
The International Crisis Group has expressed concern in its latest report, published on 23 December in Brussels, over the state of relations between India and Bangladesh. The report says ties between the two countries have come under strain following political upheaval in Dhaka, warning that years of close cooperation were heavily dependent on personal political alignment rather than broad public consensus.
Bilateral ties expanded significantly during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a period India described as a “golden era” marked by boundary agreements, increased trade, infrastructure projects and closer people-to-people links. The report says that progress proved fragile after Hasina was removed from power in a student-led uprising in August 2024 and later took shelter in India.
Technology War over Semiconductors: Strategic Challenges for South Asia and Bangladesh
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Dec 24, 2025
The global contest over leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution has increasingly centered on semiconductors and rare earth materials (REM). What began as competition in innovation and trade between China and the Western bloc has evolved into a broader struggle over supply chains, technological standards, investment flows, and long-term economic security. This rivalry is now shaping policy choices in emerging economies, particularly across South Asia, including Bangladesh.
Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee On External Affairs Has Identified
India–Bangladesh Relations In Serious Strategic Challenge Since 1971
Anwar Shahadat, New York, Dec. 24, 2025 The recent report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs has identified India–Bangladesh relations.
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Grace Meng Challenged in Democratic Primary Race in New York’s 6th District
IPW Desk: Dec. 21 2025. New YorkU.S. Representative Grace Meng is facing a primary challenge in New York’s 6th Congressional District, which covers several neighborhoods in Queens.
US SENATE CONFIRMS BRENT CHRISTENSEN AS AMBASSADOR TO BANGLADESH
IPW Desk, Dhaka, New York, December 20, 2025
The United States Senate has approved the appointment of Brent Christensen as the new Ambassador of the United States to Bangladesh. He is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on January 11.
Rising Political Tensions Test India–Bangladesh Relations
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, December 23, 2025
India-Bangladesh relations have come under renewed strain as sharp political rhetoric and diplomatic exchanges heighten tensions between the two neighbors, raising concerns about regional stability and the future of security cooperation.
Japan’s Nuclear Debate Sends Ripples Across Asia
By Sadik Sagar,, Dhaka, December 23, 2025
Japan has long been viewed as a pillar of global nuclear restraint, shaped by its historical experience as the only country to suffer atomic bombings and by its post-war pacifist principles. However, recent remarks by senior Japanese officials have reignited international attention.
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Dec 17, 2025
Global economic growth has stabilised in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, but at a pace markedly slower than the pre-pandemic decade.
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, December 16, 2025
Concerns are growing in migrant communities as reports by The Middle East Eye highlight policy debates in the United Kingdom that could potentially place millions of people at risk of losing British citizenship. Among those most concerned are people of Bangladeshi origin, one of the UK’s largest and most established diaspora communities.
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, Dec 17, 2025
As great-power competition intensifies across the Indo-Pacific, the Bay of Bengal is rapidly transforming from a commercial maritime corridor into a strategic arena shaping South Asia’s security and development trajectory. For Bangladesh, located at the heart of this evolving maritime theatre, the Bay represents both a gateway for economic expansion and a zone of growing geopolitical pressure.
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, December 15, 2025
The recent summon and counter-summon of envoys by Bangladesh and India has cast a fresh shadow over Dhaka–New Delhi relations, underscoring the fragility of bilateral ties during a sensitive political transition in Bangladesh. Yet, amid alternating currents of strain and engagement, recent diplomatic outreach suggests that both sides remain cautious about allowing tensions to spiral out of control.
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, December 4, 2025
Amid months of strained relations, India and Bangladesh appear to be cautiously moving toward a diplomatic thaw, with recent gestures from both sides indicating an attempt to stabilize ties in the post–Sheikh Hasina political landscape.
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, December02, 2025
The European Union and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) held a high-level meeting in Dhaka on 1 December 2025, aiming to strengthen economic cooperation and explore new opportunities for European investment in Bangladesh. The dialogue, attended by EU ambassadors, senior Bangladeshi officials and representatives from European businesses, focused on improving the country’s business climate, attracting long-term foreign investment and enhancing regulatory reforms.
Rohingya Crisis Poised to Continue Amid International Skepticism of Myanmar’s Election
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, December 4, 2024
With Myanmar’s national election set to begin on December 28, 2025, concerns are mounting among international organisations and regional powers about the credibility of the upcoming polls. These doubts have reinforced fears that the long-running Rohingya crisis—already one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian tragedies—will continue without a viable path toward justice, repatriation or citizenship.
World Bank, IMF Signal Stronger Engagement with Bangladesh After Formation of New Government
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, December 04, 2025
Following the formation of Bangladesh’s new government, both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have indicated a renewed willingness to deepen financial and policy cooperation, particularly as the country navigates economic pressures stemming from global inflation, foreign exchange volatility, and structural reform demands.
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, November 20, 2025
India–Bangladesh relations, one of South Asia’s most strategically crucial bilateral partnerships, have entered their most fragile period in decades following the conviction and death sentence handed down to former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
By Tanvir Rusmat, Dhaka, November 18,2025
Tensions between China and Japan have intensified sharply following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in parliament that a Chinese
Bangladesh NSA Khalilur Rahman’s India Visit: Will It Help Ease Frosty Bilateral Relations?
By Sadik Sagar, Dhaka, November 20, 2025
Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman arrives in New Delhi on November 19 at the invitation of Indian NSA Ajit Doval, as he joins a meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) the following day.
IPW Analysis: Nov. 13, 2025. Bangladesh has climbed 16 places in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index from 165th under Sheikh Hasina’s government to 149th under the current administration.
Bangladesh’s RCEP Ambition: Balancing Opportunities and Challenges in a Shifting Global Order
Sadik Sagar Dhaka November 6, 2025
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest trading block, has become a cornerstone of modern global trade and geopolitics. Comprising 15 nations — including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the ASEAN countries
As Bangladesh Warms to Pakistan India Watches a Regional Realignment Unfold
By Sadik Sagar October 8, 2025
South Asia is entering a subtle but significant phase of diplomatic realignment.
As Bangladesh Warms to Pakistan India Watches a Regional Realignment Unfold
By Sadik Sagar October 8, 2025
South Asia is entering a subtle but significant phase of diplomatic realignment.
India–Bangladesh Border Dispute: Resolution, Political Shifts & Emerging Challenges
By Tanvir Rusmat: October 11, 2025
The India–Bangladesh border dispute is widely seen as one of South Asia’s rare success stories in resolving complex territorial issues peacefully.
U.S. Tariffs and Their Impact on Bangladesh’s Ready‑Made Garments Sector
U.S. Tariffs and Their Impact on Bangladesh’s Ready‑Made Garments Sector Short‑term pain looks likely: reduced orders, squeezed margins, possible factory closures if tariffs persist.
Saint Martin’s Island: Tiny Coral Isle Turns into Geopolitical Hotspot
Tanvir Rusmat: Dhaka, October 5, 2025
Saint Martin’s Island, Bangladesh’s only coral island, is fast turning into a sensitive node in Bay of Bengal geopolitics. Once known mainly as a pristine tourist destination, it is now at the heart of concerns over sovereignty, regional rivalries, and national security.
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