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Biden’s Democracy Crusade Goes Astray in Bangladesh

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Biden’s Democracy Crusade Goes Astray in Bangladesh​



Analysis by Mihir Sharma | Bloomberg
October 8, 2023 at 4:25 p.m. EDT

Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s prime minister, arrives to speak during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US, on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of a UN Security Council meeting where the US and its allies were criticizing President Vladimir Putin’s government over the invasion of Ukraine, in a stark demonstration of the divisions opened up by the war. (Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg)


Economically, Bangladesh has been a success story for the past decade. Growth has steadily topped 6% and on average, between 2016 and 2021, outpaced countries such as India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Bangladesh will soon “graduate” from the ranks of poorer nations, relinquishing various trade and development assistance prerogatives it no longer needs.

Politically, the country is not quite as exemplary. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League has been in power since 2009. While the party notched a landslide victory in 2018 polls, that election was widely condemned as being insufficiently free and fair.

It’s hard to be optimistic that the country’s upcoming vote, due in a few months, will be much freer. Even so, it is equally hard to see why the US has decided to make Bangladesh a focus of attention in President Joe Biden’s otherwise forgotten “democracy first” foreign-policy agenda.

In a rather vague statement last month, the US State Department announced that it had “taken steps” to impose visa restrictions on at least three Bangladeshis, including “members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition” for “undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.” The statement suggested other names could soon be added to the list.

This sort of open bullying is neither fair nor sensible. True, under the Awami League’s watch, the police and other state institutions have been increasingly politicized. Last month, the leaders of a well-known human rights group were jailed after publishing a report alleging excessive use of force against a protest in 2013.

A new Cyber Security Act gives the police unprecedented powers of search and arrest that could easily be misused. Freedom House describes Bangladesh today as only “partly free,” ranking the country only slightly above Pakistan and just below Nigeria, Lebanon, and Singapore.

Nevertheless, the US restrictions aren’t fair because they make it look like Bangladesh is being singled out. While the State Department has imposed similar curbs on other countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, it’s refrained from targeting others, including US partners where the military has openly meddled in elections recently such as Thailand and Pakistan.

And the policy isn’t sensible because it makes the US look partisan. Bangladeshi politicians already accuse each other of “waking up in the morning and going to the US embassy to complain.” Sheikh Hasina groused to the BBC earlier this year that the US “may not want me in power.” Any real attempts to shore up democratic institutions will now be tainted.

Perhaps someone in Washington thinks that Bangladesh is of minimal importance compared to democratic backsliders such as India and Turkey. If so, that would be remarkably short-sighted.

The costs of alienating Bangladesh are remarkably high. This is the world’s eighth-largest country, a Muslim-majority nation that has in recent years fought a bruising internal battle over secularism that, for a change, the fundamentalists might well lose.

It’s also a swing state in the Indo-Pacific. China has spent time and money to try and win over Bangladesh, including through investments in energy and transport. In 2022, almost 90% of Bangladesh’s pipeline of energy projects depended upon Chinese finance, according to the Asian Development Bank. Bangladesh’s foreign minister described China as arriving with a “basket of money” and “aggressive and affordable proposals.”

Friends and allies of the US, from India to France to Japan, have been left trying to make up for Washington’s missteps. In August, Japan announced that Bangladesh was one of only four nations that would receive defense assistance under a new program designed to “enhance the security and deterrence capabilities of like-minded countries.”

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Dhaka last month to promise infrastructure, satellites, and more defense co-operation. The Chinese, meanwhile, have happily capitalized on resentment about US pressure, with President Xi Jinping promising Sheikh Hasina in August that he stood ready to “oppose external interference” on Bangladesh’s behalf.

Bangladeshi politics have been dominated for decades by a very personal battle between the Awami League and the Bangladesh National Party. But Sheikh Hasina is 76; her principal opponent, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is 78. I’d like to think that democracy in Bangladesh has strong enough roots for the next generation of leaders to craft a new direction for the country.

That won’t happen, however, if democratic institutions are seen as instruments of US foreign policy. This is the risk that Biden’s approach runs, especially if it is inconsistently applied. A more realpolitik view of US interests — and those of Bangladesh — would suggest taking a subtler, more flexible approach.

You don’t need to support coups or praise a stolen election. At the same time, you need not always insert yourself into what are often very domestic disputes.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:
• Could Backoffice 2.0 Be India’s Third Way?: Andy Mukherjee
• UK Can Learn From Bangladesh on Climate Crisis: Lara Williams
• Democracies Versus Autocracies Isn’t Even Close: Tobin Harshaw

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Mihir Sharma is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, he is author of “Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy.”

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
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I am totally clueless why with all things going on in the world, U.S. government has any interest in who rules Bangladesh. I haven't seen this much ink spilled on Argentina, Brazil, Mexico or even Canada, U.K., Germany.
 
I am totally clueless why with all things going on in the world, U.S. government has any interest in who rules Bangladesh. I haven't seen this much ink spilled on Argentina, Brazil, Mexico or even Canada, U.K., Germany.
All those countries shown in bold are not surrounded or influenced by China. Do not please see BD as a small country. See its geographical location.

China wants to enter the Bay of Bengal through Burma and needs a friendly BD to support this. American policy is to bottle up China the current enemy. This policy is not successful if China gets entry to the BoB thru Burma.

Malacca Strait is one other sea trade route for China. In an emergency American military can close this port. But, it is not successful if the BoB route remains open.

America wants a fair election knowing that it would topple the present China friendly BAL govt. China would be fairly completely bottled up.

Please check the map of the entire region from BoB to East China Sea/ Sea of Japan in the far north to understand my point.
 
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Some bona fide idiots on PDF think BAL is China friendly. BAL is totally India friendly who keeps good working relation with China for money.
 
All those countries shown in bold are not surrounded or influenced by China. Do not please see BD as a small country. See its geographical location.

China wants to enter the Bay of Bengal through Burma and needs a friendly BD to support this. American policy is to bottle up China the current enemy. This policy is not successful if China gets entry to the BoB thru Burma.

Malacca Strait is one other sea trade route for China. In an emergency American military can close this port. But, it is not successful if the BoB route remains open.

America wants a fair election knowing that it would topple the present China friendly BAL govt. China would be fairly completely bottled up.

Please check the map of the entire region from BoB to East China Sea/ Sea of Japan in the far north to understand my point.
But China already owns a port in Sri Lanka and another in Pakistan. I think they have an OK relationship with Myanmar. The fear of choking Malacca strait is a World War 2 era thinking. In another 20 years, China may not even import petroleum through that path if they go fully electric.
 
But China already owns a port in Sri Lanka and another in Pakistan. I think they have an OK relationship with Myanmar. The fear of choking Malacca strait is a World War 2 era thinking. In another 20 years, China may not even import petroleum through that path if they go fully electric.
If the world is not in the 2nd WW era, it is certainly in a Cold War era. The war is not real but inside the minds of ruling politicians of America and China.

In such a theoretical state of war, China wants to open the Burma route to the Indian Ocean, and America wants to oppose it.

China knows if America blocks Malacca it cannot reach SL or any port with its goods unless it has an uninterrupted Burma route. America wants to deny China this substitute route.

Can’t you see this is the main reason behind the Tug of War between these two powers on Bangladesh? China cannot prevail in the BoB overture if BD tilts towards the west.

This will happen if a fair election is held in BD.
 
If the world is not in the 2nd WW era, it is certainly in a Cold War era. The war is not real but inside the minds of ruling politicians of America and China.

In such a theoretical state of war, China wants to open the Burma route to the Indian Ocean, and America wants to oppose it.

China knows if America blocks Malacca it cannot reach SL or any port with its goods unless it has an uninterrupted Burma route. America wants to deny China this substitute route.

Can’t you see this is the main reason behind the Tug of War between these two powers on Bangladesh? China cannot prevail in the BoB overture if BD tilts towards the west.

This will happen if a fair election is held in BD.
You may be right as you are from there. I imagined it may be to prevent Islamist forces coming to power. There is already enough headache in Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan and Myanmar. If something happens to Bangladesh, it will destabilize the entire region. U.S. has this fear of 'Arc' like in 1950s with Southeast Asia fear of communism.
 
You may be right as you are from there. I imagined it may be to prevent Islamist forces coming to power. There is already enough headache in Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan and Myanmar. If something happens to Bangladesh, it will destabilize the entire region. U.S. has this fear of 'Arc' like in 1950s with Southeast Asia fear of communism.
Islamist coming to power in BD is far away from reality. There is no gun trodding culture in BD except by those identified with BAL party.

America is playing its democracy in BD not because of Islamist, but because it wants to bottle up China in the north of Burma.

A stronger American presence is totally unacceptable to China because it is its death warrant. A completely surrounded China.
 
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I am totally clueless why with all things going on in the world, U.S. government has any interest in who rules Bangladesh. I haven't seen this much ink spilled on Argentina, Brazil, Mexico or even Canada, U.K., Germany.
You are clueless because one important thing that you don't want to understand that Bangladesh is strategically very important!

Both you and your half brother Pakistanis either don't understand it , or pretend not to understand!

The reality is , the importance of Pakistan is long gone after Soviet fall!

Now it's new cold war between China and USA and only Bangladesh can serve USA purpose, since you aren't ready to do it because of dream of become another super power!

Hence as long as China survive , Bangladesh will be strategically most important to USA!

God save the great Chinese nation , as counter balance of USA!

America is playing its democracy in BD not because of Islamist, but because it wants to bottle up China in the north of Burma.

A stronger American presence is totally unacceptable to China because it is its death warrant. A completely surrounded China.
From long ago I'm saying so! But most of bir Bangladeshi in PDF overlooked it , let alone master race ( majority) Pakistani who always neglected us here and their half brother Indians as well!

I personally like Mr Imran Khan , but unfortunately most Pakistani offenders were PTI supporters , who started to think themselves invincible, same as BAL and Jama't thought about themselves in Bangladesh!
 

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