Bangladesh

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

According to the secretary of Bangladesh's Election Commission, the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, and its "like minded parties" did not submit their nominations for the 2024 general election by the Nov. 30 deadline, The Daily Star reported on Dec. 1.

Bangladesh: Main Opposition Party Boycotts 2024 Elections as Nomination Deadline Passes

Bangladesh's Election Commission announced that the country will hold its next general election on Jan. 7, The Daily Star reported on Nov. 15.

Bangladesh: Election Commission Announces Jan. 7 Election Date

The International Monetary Fund and Bangladesh reached a staff-level agreement on the first review of the country's $4.7 billion bailout, paving the way for potential IMF board approval in the coming weeks that would release a second tranche of around $681 million, Nikkei Asia reported on Oct. 19.

Bangladesh: IMF and Government Reach Staff-Level Agreement on First Bailout Review

Cyber

Bangladesh's Parliament passed the 2023 Cyber Security Act (CSA), replacing the controversial Digital Security Act (DSA), which aimed to prevent hate speech and the spread of terrorist propaganda, The Daily Star reported on Sept. 13.

Bangladesh: Cyber Security Act 2023 Passed in Parliament

Energy

Prolonged power shortages are prompting production cuts and financial losses for factories across Bangladesh, with approximately 1,200 industrial factories in the port city of Chittagong alone reporting 20-30% average drops in production alongside increased production costs, The Business Standard reported June 8.

Bangladesh: Factories Face Production Cuts, Financial Losses Amid Electricity Crisis

Environment, Science & Technology

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

Assessments

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

Media

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Graphics

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

Podcasts

 From economics to politics, Bangladesh faces challenges ahead.

Essential Geopolitics: What's Happening in Bangladesh?

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

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

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

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

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

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

Mauritius

Seychelles

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, will be preoccupied with elections in 2019 and Chinese President Xi Jinping with the United States, but each will continue his country's competition for advantage across South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

China in Transition

Beijing's economic and military expansion into South Asia challenges New Delhi's ability to maintain its influence over its neighbors.

India Guards Against China's Encroaching Shadow

Snapshots

Myanmar

Social Issues

Crossing Borders

The initial plan for the steady return of refugees is in place, but the crisis is far from over. 

Myanmar: A Tentative Timeline for Rohingya Repatriation

Tibetans row along the Brahmaputra River, which has recently been the subject of dispute between China and India.

Agriculture

Environmental Issues

Whether China is diverting water from the Siang River or not, water will factor into its territorial and resource disputes with India.

China Allegedly Tunnels Under Troubled Water in India

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: Main Opposition Party Boycotts 2024 Elections as Nomination Deadline Passes

Bangladesh: Election Commission Announces Jan. 7 Election Date

Bangladesh: IMF and Government Reach Staff-Level Agreement on First Bailout Review

Bangladesh: Cyber Security Act 2023 Passed in Parliament

Bangladesh: Factories Face Production Cuts, Financial Losses Amid Electricity Crisis

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

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