Ayesha Tariq

The standoff between the US and Iran on the Strait of Hormuz has settled into a form of maritime trench warfare, in which each side is betting that economic pressure will eventually persuade the other to yield.

Over the past two weeks, there have been more questions about Bangladesh’s energy situation than about any other topic in recent memory.

Every pressure point this crisis is exposing, on energy, food, remittances, and foreign exchange, is also a signpost pointing toward what Bangladesh needs to build. The pressures are significant, they are immediate, and four of them are converging at once.