The Ganga Water Treaty is crucial to Bangladesh-India relations because it guarantees a systematic process for water sharing between the two riparian states. The treaty, signed in 1996, expires next year. It needs to be renewed in the interests of both India and Bangladesh. Preliminary negotiations are already being made toContinue Reading
Eight months after the ouster of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus met for the first time on April 4 on the sidelines of the sixth BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok. The meeting was important. It was the first face-to-face meetingContinue Reading
On March 26, 2025, Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, visited China and signed an agreement on economic and technological cooperation along with eight memoranda of understanding. These MoUs cover diverse sectors, including cultural exchanges, media collaboration, sports, and health. Since a student-led mass uprisingContinue Reading
Like much of the world, Bangladesh had a hard time in early April when it woke up to the news of a new reciprocal tariff imposed by the Donald Trump administration. The country’s interim government, which is led by noted economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, swung into action immediatelyContinue Reading
Bangladesh’s political landscape has undergone seismic shifts over the past decade, marked by the rise of authoritarianism under Sheikh Hasina and the eventual ousting of her regime through a student-led revolution. Throughout this period, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has remained a significant political force, often regarded as the onlyContinue Reading
Each month, ACLED’s Asia Pacific Team collects information on the dates, actors, locations, fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protest events in the region. Details below on significant developments in March 2025 in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, South Korea and Thailand. Bangladesh: Militant activity heightensContinue Reading
When Donald Trump announced his new tariff rules for more than 180 countries on April 2, what he termed as “Liberation Day,” it sent shockwaves across the global trade landscape. Like other regions, South Asia, a region of over 2.04 billion people, whose economies rely heavily on exports to theContinue Reading
Bangladesh’s foreign policy is shifting. With the recent political change at home and an increasingly volatile global order, Bangladesh is adopting a “looking east” policy. For rapid economic growth, regional connectivity, and strategic diversification, the country has been hoping to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The questionContinue Reading
The visit of Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to China from March 26 to 29 was significant for several reasons. It was his first official bilateral visit abroad since the political transition in Bangladesh in August 2024. More importantly, it signaled a growing Bangladeshi reliance on China as its leadContinue Reading
54 years after Operation Searchlight and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic declaration of the independence of Bangladesh, the country stands at a critical juncture yet again. As in 1971, decisions in Dhaka could alter regional dynamics, especially vis-à-vis India and Pakistan, with whom Bangladesh’s destiny has been closely intertwined. There isContinue Reading
