Washington gets a policy brief on Bangladesh

As the US Senate has cleared the way for a congressional hearing on Bangladesh’s political reform. A prominent Washington DC-based think-tank has issued a backgrounder that supplies senators with the analytical dimension on America’s strategy for Bangladesh. This policy brief will almost certainly be a reference point for the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Combating Islamism in South Asia: Keeping Bangladesh on the Democratic Path” was published by the Heritage Foundation. The backgrounder comes at a critical juncture in Bangladesh’s relations with the US. Prime Minister Hasina’s forced retirement of Professor Yunus from his position in Grameen Bank, the $1.2 bn World Bank loan cancellation due to corruption among project-involved Bangladeshi officials, and deficiencies of the International Crimes Tribunal are all featured in the backgrounder. These issues have been repeatedly expressed by US officials as their frustrations grow with the Awami League government.

The report states that the removal of the caretaker government has caused the opposition BNP to boycott the election, thereby sacrificing the credibility of the polling process, leading to political destabilisation that undermines democracy and causing Islamist ideology to gain ground among Bangladeshis. The summarising point is that political chaos is a breeding-ground for domestic and international extremism.

Despite giving Hasina’s government credit for successfully dismantling Islamist extremists like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, enacting legislations such as the Anti Terrorism Act of 2009 and the handover of terror suspects to India, the policy brief reasons that the government’s deviation from democracy will usher-in Islamist extremism, the international bogeyman of the West.

The backgrounder also details how the war crimes tribunal verdicts and the execution of Islamist leader Abdul Quader Molla led to over 150 deaths from riots, unleashed furor among Islamists and severe destabilisation of the nation.

It also warns that the impressive economic gains made over the years will be difficult to maintain and that Islamists will certainly exploit the political chaos. It is quite ironic when the party that presents itself as the secular vanguard against Islamists is depicted as the reason behind Islamists’ resurgence.

The policy brief plays off the Obama administration’s pivot toward Asia, which realigns US military and diplomatic strength to this region. China is cited as Bangladesh’s top military equipment supplier and largest trading partner, with an over $8bn trade in 2012. China’s build-up of ties to Bangladesh is illustrated, with its pledge to develop a deep-seaport at Sonadia Island and its interest in establishing a transport link from Chittagong to Kunming, China.

The US is recommended to enhance maritime security with joint naval exercises and port calls to contain Chinese maritime power. Furthermore, the superpower has been asked to enlarge economic engagement to balance-off Chinese investment, and even consider trilateral cooperation with India to lessen Chinese regional influence.

The paper also includes multiple recommendations for the US government: Hasina should be pressed to negotiate with the BNP on elections, encourage an all-party government with a neutral technocratic leader to conduct elections, and urge for a permanent, independent election commission that supervises and adjudicates future elections.

Furthermore, there should be increased scrutiny from the war crimes court to monitor if individual civil liberties are protected and due process is carried out. The US should also reinstate Bangladesh’s Generalised System of Preferences, as its removal is not influencing the ready-made garments sector but is harming rural farmers’ access to US markets instead.

Moreover, it should be clearly stated that whichever party comes to power will cooperate on counter-terrorism. The report points out that lethal blasts conducted by Islamists during BNP’s tenure are unacceptable and the threat should not be allowed to resurface. This is America’s most important national security issue and the message is likely to be strongly addressed to the BNP.

The policy brief does not hesitate in suggesting that the US should get more involved in modifying the war crimes court, an institution established to remedy national scars left from the Liberation War. It also advocates that the US retain its global hegemony by limiting Chinese influence. Ultimately, the backgrounder boldly promotes US leadership in the international order, with Bangladesh following its instructions.

Established in 1973, the Heritage Foundation is ranked number 10 for having the most significant impact on public policy. Global Go To Think Tank 2012 also ranked it number 18 among global think tanks after contacting 6,603 institutions around the world.

Simple Resolution 318 condemns Bangladesh’s political violence and urges the nation’s leaders to engage in substantive dialogue for free, fair, and credible elections. Heritage Foundation’s backgrounder provides the analytical framework in disapproving of the AL’s actions and a path for America’s future relations with Bangladesh.