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Bangladesh

Maldives

Sri Lanka

International Monetary Fund representative Rahul Anand (center) speaks during a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Nov. 9, 2022. 

Economics

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives all face varying degrees of financial and economic risks in the years ahead unless they enact far-reaching (and politically unpopular) reforms.

Where Are South Asia's Most Vulnerable Economies Headed?

A general view shows the ongoing construction of the Dhaka Metro Rail project in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 16, 2021. 

Energy

Politics

The havoc that rising global prices are wreaking on Bangladesh's energy and food supplies has shown just how vulnerable the country is to external market shocks. 

Rampant Inflation Tests Bangladesh's Resilience

Media

Podcasts

 From economics to politics, Bangladesh faces challenges ahead.

Essential Geopolitics: What's Happening in Bangladesh?

2020 Second-Quarter Forecast

Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. 

South Asia

<p>Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. The Himalayan Mountains form the northern border of South Asia, whose two main rivers, the Indus and the Ganges, support the region&rsquo;s great population centers. India is the region&rsquo;s dominant country, home to the world&rsquo;s fastest growing economy. But its rivalry with neighboring Pakistan, a fellow nuclear power and growing consumer market, has made South Asia one of the world&rsquo;s most dangerous nuclear flashpoints. The region is also a testament to how militancy and militarism can undermine the regional integration needed to unleash higher economic growth.</p>

China

Japan

India

An image of the Port of Chittagong in Bangladesh.

Maintaining the country's explosive economic growth will require updating its overburdened trade infrastructure -- opening opportunities for China, India and Japan.

Bangladesh's Congested Ports Risk Choking Its Economy

2020 Annual Forecast

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

Bhutan

Nepal

India is beating a path to its neighbors in an effort to ensure China doesn't muscle in on New Delhi's backyard.

India's Own Worst Enemy

Shoring up New Delhi's influence around South Asia is top on Narendra Modi's to-do list. Achieving success, however, will depend on fending off China and its Belt and Road Initiative.

Wary of China, Modi Courts India's Neighbors

The New Silk Road

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

Pakistan

With China ready to open the purse strings, the days when India could dominate South Asia exclusively are long gone.

New Delhi is eager to maintain its dominance over the smaller states of the subcontinent, but it'll have a hard time competing with Chinese money.

Why the Belt and Road Fuels India's Fears of Encirclement

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

2019 Second-Quarter Forecast

Politicking aside, Bangladesh's biggest worry after Dec. 30 elections will be the country's economy.

Regardless of who assumes power in Dhaka on Dec. 30, Bangladesh's next government will face one overriding issue: the economy. 

Economic Issues Overshadow Bangladesh's Fraught Elections

Environment, Science & Technology

A sustained heatwave is triggering widespread power cuts in Bangladesh, with particularly severe power shortages reported in the textile and pharmaceutical hub of Mymensingh and the port city of Chittagong, Reuters reported on April 20.

Bangladesh: Heatwave Causes Widespread Power Outages, Some Water Shortages

The International Monetary Fund approved Bangladesh's loan program of $4.7 billion on Jan. 30, Reuters reported the next day.

Bangladesh: International Monetary Fund Approves $4.7 Billion Package

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Bangladesh reached a staff-level agreement for a $4.5 billion loan, Reuters reported Nov. 9.

Bangladesh: IMF and Dhaka Reach Staff-Level Agreement for $4.5 Billion Loan

Russia

Bangladesh likely will import 500,000 tons of wheat from Russia, Reuters reported Aug. 28.

Bangladesh: Dhaka to Import Wheat From Russia

Bangladesh's government hiked fuel prices by 42-51%, which is the highest increase in the country's history, Reuters reported Aug. 6.

Bangladesh: Fuel Price Hike Triggers Risk of Social Unrest

Bangladesh is reportedly seeking a $4.5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as its foreign exchange reserves continue depleting amid high import costs, Al Jazeera reported July 26.

Bangladesh: Dhaka Seeks $4.5 Billion IMF Loan

Representatives from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan met in Delhi, India, from March 7-8, and the Indian, Bangladeshi and Nepalese representatives finalized a memorandum of understanding to implement the group's Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) pending approval from Bhutan, The Economic Times reported March 8.

India, Bangladesh, Nepal: Countries Move Ahead With Agreement to Boost Regional Connectivity

United States

North Korea

China in Transition

The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against 10 entities and 15 people from Myanmar, China, Bangladesh, North Korea and Russia, AP reported Dec. 10.

U.S., China: Washington Announces Sanctions on Human Rights Day

U.S.-China Relations

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Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

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Bangladesh is a democratic republic located in South Asia. India borders it to the north, east and west, while Bangladesh shares a narrow southeastern border with Myanmar. Rivers are the defining geographic feature of Bangladesh. The country is home to the world's largest delta, as two of South Asia's major rivers &mdash; the Ganges, known locally as the Padma, and the Brahmaputra &mdash; converge with the Meghna River to drain into the Bay of Bengal. (Bangladesh has a 580-kilometer, or 360-mile, fractured coastline.) The delta plain covers about 80 percent of the country's 147,570 square kilometers (57,000 square miles), while hilly terrain and highlands comprise the rest. Bangladesh's low-lying elevation and numerous river systems make it prone to frequent flooding. Its tropical monsoon climate aids in the cultivation of rice, the country's main crop. Historically poor, Bangladesh has shown a high and sustained economic growth rate in recent years, even as climate change looms as a long-term threat.    Before achieving independence in 1971 as a result of a war between India and Pakistan, Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan and was carved out during the Partition of 1947 from Bengal, a historical region that also includes the Indian state of West Bengal. Unlike other South Asian countries, Bangladesh is a relatively homogeneous country with 98 percent of the population speaking Bengali. Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated countries, and its capital, Dhaka, is among the world's most populous cities.    As a lower riparian state nearly surrounded by India, which thus comprises its most consequential international partnership, Bangladesh's primary geographic challenge is to ensure water security, while breaking out of its poverty and limiting New Delhi's dominating presence. In the long term, Bangladesh also needs help in adapting to the damaging effects of climate change. Weak boundaries have also meant that Bangladeshi migration into West Bengal and India's northeast has been a source of contention. Similarly, Rohingya migration from neighboring Myanmar into eastern Bangladesh historically has been a sore spot between Dhaka and Naypyidaw.

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SITUATION REPORTS

Bangladesh: Heatwave Causes Widespread Power Outages, Some Water Shortages

Bangladesh: International Monetary Fund Approves $4.7 Billion Package

Bangladesh: IMF and Dhaka Reach Staff-Level Agreement for $4.5 Billion Loan

Bangladesh: Dhaka to Import Wheat From Russia

Bangladesh: Fuel Price Hike Triggers Risk of Social Unrest

Bangladesh: Dhaka Seeks $4.5 Billion IMF Loan

India, Bangladesh, Nepal: Countries Move Ahead With Agreement to Boost Regional Connectivity

U.S., China: Washington Announces Sanctions on Human Rights Day

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