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Following the Bangladeshi government's decision to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that allocates 93% of state jobs based on merit, protests eased, leading Dhaka to relax the curfew in the capital and elsewhere, reopen offices, and largely restore broadband internet, though social media remained suspended, Reuters reported on July 24. 

Bangladesh: Government Relaxes Curfew as Protests Subside

On July 21, Bangladesh's Supreme Court overturned the High Court's June decision to reinstate the quota system of government jobs, reducing the government's quota allocation for the children of veterans of the 1971 war of independence from 30% to 5%, Nikkei Asia reported on July 22. 

Bangladesh: Supreme Court Revises Quota System for Government Jobs

Bangladesh's government imposed a nationwide internet shutdown and banned all public rallies in the capital due to clashes between students and police over a government jobs quota, with reports indicating at least 39 deaths, torched government buildings, and hacking attacks on top government websites, Al Jazeera reported on July 19.

Bangladesh: Quota Protests Escalate Amid Communication Blackout and Rising Casualties

Police used tear gas and batons to disperse clashes between a student group supporting the ruling Awami League party and students protesting the country's quota system for government jobs at a public university near Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, resulting in numerous injuries, AP reported on July 16. 

Bangladesh: Police Deployments Combat Flaring Government Job Quota Protests

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Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India on June 21-22 and held talks with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi that resulted in the signing of multiple agreements to bolster defense and economic ties, as well as expand maritime cooperation, AP reported on June 22.

India, Bangladesh: Governments Bolster Defense, Economic, and Other Ties

On June 21-22, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit New Delhi to meet with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to discuss key bilateral issues, including cross-border connectivity initiatives and trade, The Daily Star reported on June 20. 

Bangladesh, India: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to Visit New Delhi on June 21-22

Bangladesh's government unveiled a proposed $67.5 billion budget for the next fiscal year, which starts in July, Bloomberg reported on June 6. 

Bangladesh: Government Unveils Budget, Cuts Deficit Target to Lowest Level in Years

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Countries across South and Southeast Asia are issuing extreme heat warnings for at least the next three days, though likely longer, as the region grapples with an extended heat wave, portending health risks, business and school closures, and strained electric grids, VnExpress reported on April 29. 

Southeast Asia: Extreme Heat Wave Creates Health and Business Risks, Stresses Energy Grids

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A digital illustration of the Bangladeshi flag.

After weeks of election-related unrest, the situation in Bangladesh has stabilized, which will free the government to focus on securing investment and infrastructure deals with the U.S., India, Japan and China.

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

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An Awami League campaign rally Jan. 4, 2024, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On Jan. 7, Bangladesh will hold general elections in which the ruling Awami League will seek a fifth term under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

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A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Bangladeshi Elections, Blinken's Latest Middle East Visit

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South Asia Analyst Misha Iqbal discusses the political dynamics leading up to the Jan. 7 general ballot and the potential for continued unrest after the vote.

Essential Geopolitics: Tensions Rise as Elections Approach in Bangladesh

Posters of Bangladesh's election candidates hang over a street in Dhaka on Dec. 26, 2023, ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Bangladesh will likely maintain its nonaligned foreign policy, but protests and economic strife may threaten domestic stability.

Previewing Bangladesh's Upcoming General Election

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In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

Activists march toward Bangladesh's election commission in Dhaka on Nov. 15, 2023, to protest the announcement of the general election's date. 

Growing concerns about vote rigging, rising inflation and state repression risk triggering more political violence and economically disruptive protests ahead of the Jan. 7 ballot.

Bangladesh Braces for Another Turbulent Election

Sri Lanka

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A man enters a foreign currency exchange shop in Islamabad, Pakistan, on July 11, 2023.

Inflation remains high in several South Asian countries amid political and economic constraints on reform.

Inflation Rates Across South Asia

Maldives

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

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. 

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

 From economics to politics, Bangladesh faces challenges ahead.

Essential Geopolitics: What's Happening in Bangladesh?

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

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.

The New Silk Road

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

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.

SITUATION REPORTS

Bangladesh: Government Relaxes Curfew as Protests Subside

Bangladesh: Supreme Court Revises Quota System for Government Jobs

Bangladesh: Quota Protests Escalate Amid Communication Blackout and Rising Casualties

Bangladesh: Police Deployments Combat Flaring Government Job Quota Protests

India, Bangladesh: Governments Bolster Defense, Economic, and Other Ties

Bangladesh, India: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to Visit New Delhi on June 21-22

Bangladesh: Government Unveils Budget, Cuts Deficit Target to Lowest Level in Years

Southeast Asia: Extreme Heat Wave Creates Health and Business Risks, Stresses Energy Grids

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