The Geostrategic Impact of Political Turmoil in Bangladesh
After massive unrest and the ouster of Bangladesh’s longtime prime minister, analysts say the crisis will have widespread implications in the region and beyond.
Bangladesh, a South Asian nation born just five decades ago, has witnessed massive public unrest and violence in the past few weeks. The political upheaval, which left over 440 dead and saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country, has significantly impacted the geopolitical situation and contributed to new security threats in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, according to South Asia experts.
“The situation in Bangladesh will complicate the security situation in the Bay of Bengal region. The instability could have spillover effects to the broader Indian Ocean, affecting not just Indian interests but Western interests at large as well,” said Akhil Ramesh, Director of the India Program at the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum.
And now, amidst similar unrest, Sheikh Hasina—Bangladesh’s prime minister since 2009—has fled the country after protestors marched on her official residence. A day after Hasina fled on Aug. 5, Bangladesh’s parliament was dissolved, and a 14-member interim government under economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in.
Ramesh told The Epoch Times the last five years have been a turbulent time for South Asia. Referring to China, he said: “While the region is no stranger to instability, the evolving geopolitical situation in the wider region, in South China sea to the Taiwan Strait, gives authoritarian actors in the Indo-Pacific increased strategic advantages in the region.”
Tarique Choyon, a Bangladeshi journalist and columnist, was present at the interim government’s swearing in and described Yunus’ first meeting with the press after landing at the Dhaka airport.
“I respect you, I admire you,” Yunus told student leaders, and called for an end to violence. “If you have trust in me, if you believe you can rely on me, then don’t attack anyone in the country,” he said. “And if you listen to me, then there is no more need for it.”
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Choyon said that Bangladeshis had become frustrated with Hasina’s rule because, according to him, she ruled with a heavy fist—possible only with the help of law enforcement. After she fled, she lost trust even among her own party members, he said, when they were targeted by rioters.
Hasina Versus Zia
Behind the political upheaval in Bangladesh is the political conflict between Hasina and her primary opponent, Khaleda Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Bangladesh politics has three main players—Hasina’s political party, the Awami League; Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP); and Zia’s political ally, Jamaat-e-Islami.
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