ASSESSMENTS

As the Dust Settles at Home, Bangladesh Turns Its Attention to Foreign Policy

Mar 8, 2024 | 21:17 GMT

A digital illustration of the Bangladeshi flag.
A digital illustration of the Bangladeshi flag.

(Shutterstock)

As socio-political turbulence dies down, Bangladesh will focus on deepening its economic and diplomatic ties with the United States, India, Japan and China, to facilitate investment and infrastructure agreements. Following weeks of social and political turbulence between late 2023 and early 2024, the degree of opposition protests and political unrest has stabilized in Bangladesh, enabling the government to pursue its foreign policy goals. In Bangladesh's Jan. 7 election, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina clinched her fourth consecutive term and fifth overall, with the ruling Awami League (AL) party securing nearly 75% of the seats. Despite initial concerns over potential post-election unrest, protests have waned following the detention and crackdown on numerous activists and leaders of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The electoral process was marred by protests and boycotts from the BNP, which accused the AL of rigging the vote. As a result, in the lead-up to the general election,...

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