The Iran-Israel standoff sends mixed message across a volatile Middle East, which is reeling from the Arab Spring fallout. US is facing stiff and formidable challenge from Russia. The balance between Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia is the most difficult test for Russia’s newfound role as a Middle East balancer.
Read moreIf mutual trust is built in the political arena, the EU-Bangladesh partnership has a lot of promise
For decades, the EU has focused on economic integration rather than power politics. However, as authoritarian regimes have risen to power in many parts of the world and the United States’ leadership has waned, geopolitics has resurfaced with a fury. The EU’s foreign policy is struggling to adapt to the new reality due to its…
Read moreDelicate balance in a critical time: careful steps with regional sync will favor Bangladesh
The Ukraine-Russia military conflict has brazenly pitted the West against Russia, and a new Cold War like situation will impose new challenges for Bangladesh. Bangladeshi imports from Russia include cereals, minerals, chemical products, plastic products, metal, machinery and mechanical equipment.
Read moreTime for Dhaka to boldly exert its soft power on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation
Since the military coup in Myanmar in February, an umbrella opposition organisation called the National Unity Government has emerged, attempting to bring together Burmese and non-Burmese civilians in a formal challenge to the coup. This organization would be easily recognized as Myanmar’s legitimate government, save for one thing: it now lacks any representation from the…
Read moreWith the Covid-19 vaccine, Bangladesh is reversing course to begin soft power diplomacy
The sourcing of Covid-19 vaccine has pushed Bangladesh into a place of tight diplomatic manoeuvre, where the vaccine has become an insignia of different poles. Vaccines have emerged as the new emblem of soft war on the global stage, which is witnessing the emergence of newly defined paradigms and a colder war. The race for…
Read moreUnderstanding the prospects of a US-Bangladesh strategic cooperation
With the changing geopolitical equations across the South Asian belt, US-Bangladesh strategic relations will likely get new calibrations. Since the independence and during the Cold War era, Bangladesh held little strategic importance to US strategies in South Asia. The full focus of Washington was interested in containing Soviet influence through Pakistan and the Gulf monarchies,…
Read moreHow much does a greater bond with Turkey benefit Bangladesh?
Turkey and Bangladesh share a lot in common in terms of historical relations, values and culture. Relations between Turkish and Bengali-speaking peoples have deep historical and cultural roots, reaching back to the late Ottoman Empire and decades before the establishment of Bangladesh’s People’s Republic. During the First World War and the Turkish War of Liberation,…
Read moreThe history and dreadful future of Israel and Palestine’s endless conflict
The never-ending Israel-Palestine conflict is the most burning geopolitical conflict topic, which now and then erupts like an active volcano. The latest outbreak lies in the coincidence of a Jewish celebration of the reunification of Jerusalem in the brief, brutal, decisive six-day war of 1967, the Islamic month of Ramadan and the eviction of some…
Read moreTo avoid being caught in the crossfire of the Titans, Bangladesh should develop a Bay of Bengal strategy
On 10 May 2021, Li Jiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, spoke at a virtual event with representatives of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Bangladesh (DCAB). While speaking about the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and China, the Chinese Ambassador said that Bangladesh should not join the “Quad,” a US-led initiative and that joining it would…
Read moreFinding itself in the middle of a hammer and an anvil, Taiwan waits for an impact
Changes in geopolitical power dynamics and growing unease in Washington because of a rising China is once again pushing the world into another cold war. Amidst the rising Sino-US rivalry, Taiwan finds itself in the middle of a Cold war-style superpower confrontation. China is ramping up its diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan in its…
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