Porimol Palma

Dealing with Myanmar is becoming more complicated for Bangladesh as the military of the neighbouring country is getting weaker in the face of strong resistance by the armed rebel groups that seized dozens of towns and hundreds of army posts in recent months, say experts.

With the escalation of conflict in Myanmar, the possibility of Rohingya repatriation materialising anytime soon has become remote, heaping the challenges for the Bangladesh government in managing the displaced people in the face of shrinking humanitarian aid for them.

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, who faces a geopolitically complex world order, will find it hard to navigate the global powers and maintain the balancing act that Bangladesh has so far been doing well, foreign policy experts say.

Divergent reactions of the global powers to Bangladesh’s election result reflect the geopolitical division that prominently existed before the polls and will continue in the days to come, foreign policy analysts said.

The international community will be closely watching the election today to see how peaceful and participatory it is after the boycott of the BNP and its allies, which made it a one-sided affair.

South Asia politics expert Michael Kugelman shares his view with The Daily Star on possible post-election global response

The fight for justice for Rohingyas is gaining momentum with more countries joining the genocide case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), while the Myanmar military junta that committed genocide against the ethnic group now faces tougher resistance since its coup in 2021.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been put on high alert along the Myanmar border to prevent any influx of people from the neighbouring country that has witnessed renewed fighting between the armed rebel groups and Myanmar junta.

The increasing interest of some foreign countries in Bangladesh’s upcoming general election can be seen as a reflection of their response to the country’s divisive politics and the current state of democracy, say foreign policy analysts.

Washington has been repeating its calls for a free and fair election in Bangladesh. Meanwhile,  Delhi, after much silence, told the US at a meeting in New Delhi that it was Bangladesh’s “internal issue”.

The number of Bangladeshi students studying in the United States have increased by more than 300 percent in the last decade

Bangladesh will likely remain a key battleground for great power competition in the coming years, given its unique locational position and recent geopolitical trends, including the rise of India and growing Sino-US tensions in the South China Sea, according to a new study.

Worried over recent political violence and impasse ahead of the next election, foreign diplomats in Dhaka are approaching the government, ruling Awami League and opposition parties, and urging them to find solutions.

Rohingya refugees who interacted with the Myanmar delegation in Cox’s Bazar at the end of last month expressed their resolve to return to their original homes, not to the villages or camps set up for them in the Rakhine State.

UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva has called for developed countries to bolster support for developing countries like Bangladesh that are disproportionately affected by global crises.

China is committed to opening up and translating its immense market into profitable opportunities for the world, including for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh and the EU are moving towards a strategic and political partnership and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attending the first Global Gateway Forum on October 25-26 in Brussels is a definitive step towards that end, said foreign ministry officials.

France does not want confrontation but cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region that is becoming a centre of geopolitical competition, said Marie Masdupuy, the French ambassador to Bangladesh.

The European Parliament resolution on rights issues in Bangladesh adopted last Thursday is a warning for Dhaka before the EU takes actions that will hurt Bangladesh, said economists and international relations analysts.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent Dhaka visit can serve as a solid basis for Bangladesh to enhance bilateral trade and diversify strategic and defence relations between the two countries, say foreign policy analysts.