Over more than a month, I’ve been traveling quite a bit. In that time, I’ve missed quite a bit of news that has been directly relevant to Bangladesh. Over the next few weeks or so, I’ll try to readdress all that news and point to holes that might have gone not have gone missing had […]
The Law Minister of Bangladesh, Shafique Ahmed, recently claimed that no special law needs to be passed in order to ban religion-based politics in electioneering. The recent strike against the 5th amendment by the Supreme Court suffices to end the explicitly religious turn in Bangladeshi politics ushered in Ziaur Rahman, dictator, president and founder of […]
In this second installment we will look at the Russian reaction to increased Chinese immigration into the Russian Fareast and Siberia. We will also speculate as to the future of the Sino-Chinese relations along the border. Russian Reaction Despite the benefits to trade, the increased number of Chinese in Russia has been a catalyst for […]
Just days before President Obama begins his India visit, the U.S.-Pakistan strategic dialogue is underway in Washington D.C. The talks would focus on the “strategic” relationship between the two countries, a euphemism for more aid money to Pakistan to fight extremists within its borders and help out the U.S. in Afghanistan. Even with almost no […]
On October 20, 2010 Center for a New American Security (CNAS) released a report titled Natural Allies: A Blueprint for the Future of U.S.- India Relations. The report discusses vital aspects of U.S. – India relations in the run up to President Obama’s visit to India in November. The report, endorsed by a nonpartisan group […]
Skepticism is in order whenever casual estimates about the scope and impact of the middle class are thrown about. The transition from aam aadmi to bourgeoisie is certainly underway in India, though its exact contours, particularly in the political arena, remain debatable and subject to continual examination.
The Past Indo – Sino Border In this second installment of our three part series on the Indo-Sino border conflict, we examine the origin of the 190 years old dispute, in order to fleshing-out the historical twist and turns that have brought these two rising powers to their present situation. This conflict was engendered by […]
In two separate articles, the Washington Post and the New York Times revealed that despite having prior knowledge of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the FBI failed to inform their Indian counterparts of the threats looming ahead.
It can’t have come as much of a surprise that Khaleda Zia would put together another week-long program of country wide public protests. After all, she’s about to be kicked out of her home. But to this writer this is one scream, one time too many, too much, too often, ad nauseum, a pitched battle […]
The High Court has paved the way for opposition leader Khaleda Zia to get kicked out of her house situated in Dhaka’s Cantonment. It doesn’t help her cause that the house she has occupied since 1981 was given to her as a political favor. Further, that she has run against the rules that govern property […]
The news of India’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council was reported with a sense of elation by the national media. Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna referred to it as a “chance to prove worth” for the big throne indicating India’s claim for permanent membership of the Security Council. The South […]
Earlier this year the government began to formulate plans to set up a separate police force to monitor the four separate industrial zones in Bangladesh. The plan was put into play this month with somber fanfare. The Industrial police force, (an unfortunately titled cadre of security officers; one imagines police officers kitted out in metallic […]
An important thing to look back on, to catch up with: The Government of Bangladesh has cooked up a new industrial policy to spur on industrialization and growth. That’s a fair enough project. But the right and the left is stirring the pot, upon this news, in a move to win their own battles. The […]
Since China’s border issues are a hot topic of late, I wanted to post an article by myself, that was previously published at Brooks Review Background The Chinese government declared 2006, The “Year of Russia”; and in turn, Russia celebrated 2007 as “The Year of China.” These mutual pronouncements were part of a decade long […]
It’s not often that I write good things about Bangladesh – its politics and economics. You see, the news cycle turn on the following dictum: “if it bleeds it leads.” I regret to admit that political analysis, commentary, is no different. Blood runs thicker with blood spilt. So I write analyses of terrible things, sometimes […]
