On Jan. seventeen, 2024, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas satisfied freshly appointed Bangladeshi Minister of International Affairs Hasan Mahmud and talked over the challenges of mutual passions, such as climate change, bilateral business ties and the Rohingya crisis. Just ten times just before the meeting, on Jan. 7, the 12th typical election in Bangladesh was held, and in its aftermath, the United States experienced expressed its motivation to the growth of the partnership in between Dhaka and Washington. Consequently, it seems that Washington, irrespective of its reservations about the inside political dynamics in Bangladesh, is ready to bolster its partnership with Dhaka.
Since the US recognition of Bangladesh’s independence on four April 1972, Dhaka and Washington have shared strong political, economic, security, cultural, and humanitarian ties with just about every other. At current, Bangladesh and the US share a thorough partnership, which ranges from trade and safety to weather and humanitarian action. The US remains one of the most essential companions for Bangladesh, even though owing to Bangladesh’s strategic locale in the Indo-Pacific region, its geopolitical salience for the US is expanding. Therefore, it will serve the passions of the two states if they broaden their cooperative ties on political, financial, cultural, and humanitarian sectors.
Political Concord
Bangladesh and the US have so considerably held eight Partnership Dialogues and 8 Stability Dialogues, and superior-stage contacts concerning the political leaderships of the two international locations is typical. In phrases of foreign policy, Bangladesh and the US have no elementary clash of pursuits. On the contrary, Bangladesh has declared its dedication to a absolutely free and open up Indo-Pacific in its Indo-Pacific Outlook, mirroring the US Indo-Pacific Tactic. On the Ukrainian crisis, Bangladesh has adopted a coverage of beneficial neutrality, and it is complying with US sanctions routine. When there exist a handful of details of friction, Dhaka and Washington can pragmatically compartmentalize people challenges and address them on a case-by-scenario foundation, even though continuing their growing multi-pronged partnership.
On the political entrance, both Dhaka and Washington can undertake a quantity of methods to deepen their bilateral ties. On its aspect, Dhaka ought to undertake actions to assuage US fears about the inside political dynamics and labour rights in Bangladesh. On the other hand, the US must chorus from applying economic instruments as political weapons in opposition to Dhaka. Instead, the nations around the world should institutionalize their bilateral ties into a strategic partnership, which would complement the now existing Sino–Bangladeshi and Japanese–Bangladeshi strategic partnerships. Also, taking into account Bangladesh’s substantial ties with India and the US, the three nations around the world can develop a trilateral dialogue forum for expanding their political ties. Very last but not the minimum, the two counties really should upgrade their security partnership by boosting collaboration (notably intelligence-sharing) on counter-terrorism, cyber-stability, and combatting transnational crimes, hosting far more joint armed service workout routines, and facilitating Bangladesh’s acquisition of innovative US armed forces machines.
Financial Partnership
Bangladesh and the US have concluded the Trade and Financial commitment Cooperation Discussion board Arrangement (TICFA) as very well as a treaty on the avoidance of double taxation. Currently, the US is the threerd greatest investing associate of Bangladesh. It constitutes the solitary premier export sector for Bangladesh, absorbing almost 20% of Bangladeshi exported merchandise. Also, the US is the largest source of foreign immediate investment decision (FDI) for Bangladesh, with US FDI in the nation amounting to $4.1 billion and 19% of whole FDI obtained. Moreover, the US is the single premier investor in Bangladesh’s electricity sector. In addition, the US is now the largest source of remittances for Bangladesh, with sixteen% of the country’s remittances coming from the States. It ought to be observed that remittances and the earnings from the export of readymade clothes (RMG) serve as the motor of the Bangladeshi economy. Consequently, the US, by advantage of becoming the premier resource of remittances and the premier export market for Bangladesh, is a important financial partner for Dhaka.
Dhaka and Washington can additional progress this multifaceted economic partnership. Bangladesh is projected to be the nineth premier customer industry by 2030, and so it will be mutually valuable for Dhaka and Washington to bolster their economic ties. Attracting FDI is a top rated precedence for Bangladesh, and the state has accordingly adopted an open up and liberal FDI policy. The US can considerably improve its investments in a amount of sectors of Bangladeshi economic system, like electrical power and power, information technologies (IT), infrastructure, mild engineering and electronics, car industry, agro-processing, prescription drugs, and ceramics. To get an instance, US firms can make investments in the expanding IT sector in Bangladesh, and use countless numbers of proficient Bangladeshi IT personnel. This will decrease unemployment in Bangladesh and decrease expenditures for US companies. Likewise, US businesses need to invest a lot more in other sectors of Bangladesh, and the latter really should make a far more favourable prospects for the infusion of a lot more US FDI into the state.
In addition, underneath the US-led Partnership for International Infrastructure and Expense (PGII), the US can invest in the advancement of higher-good quality and sustainable infrastructure in Bangladesh. Also, US can present Bangladesh with complex know-how in exploring the Bay of Bengal for probable hydrocarbon reserves.
Cultural Collaboration
Owing to the relentless travel of globalization, the US tradition has remaining a important imprint on Bangladesh. This cultural bond is bolstered by the presence of all around 800,000 Bangladeshis on US territory. The US is also the most most well-liked vacation spot for Bangladeshi pupils who want to study overseas, and the region at the moment hosts more than thirteen,500 Bangladeshi students.
The two nations around the world can bolster the exist cultural collaboration by endeavor much more cultural exchange systems, arranging cultural fairs and exhibitions, and bolstering people today-to-people today ties. Particularly, Washington should really give much more Bangladeshi learners to go after larger research in the US. On its element, Bangladesh must meticulously acquire its tourism infrastructure to attract extra US tourists, and at the identical time, it ought to invest a lot more in advertising and marketing its culture in the US.
Humanitarian Cooperation
Bangladesh is the 3rd premier recipient of US international support amongst South Asian states. For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US assisted Bangladesh in mostly minimizing the devastating impacts of the pandemic by supplying the latter with far more than 100 million vaccines absolutely free of price tag. Also, the US is the primary supplier of humanitarian guidance for the much more than one.3 million Rohingya refugees stranded in southeastern Bangladesh.
Nonetheless, the US possesses the capability to enjoy a greater function in working with the Rohingya humanitarian crisis. Above the modern several years, the infusion of international money for the Rohingyas has noticeably lessened, and this has put Bangladesh in a quandary. As the only superpower and the most significant economic electrical power of the entire world, the US can make amplified diplomatic and monetary contribution to the Rohingya bring about. dependent on the emphasis that the Biden administration has put on human legal rights, the US must stage up its monetary assistance for the Rohingya refugees. But, furnishing only humanitarian assist to the Rohingyas is not a practical lengthy-time period answer to this acute difficulty. For this reason, taking into thing to consider the continued political turmoil inside of Myanmar, the adoption of the BURMA Act by the US Congress, and the latest intensification of the ongoing civil war in the region, the US can exert bigger diplomatic stress on Nay Pyi Taw to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh.
Also, owing to climate modify, Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries of the entire world. The present US administration is a party to the Paris Arrangement and vocally fully commited to the decarbonization, weather modify adaptation, and local weather finance. It has also earlier fully commited to deliver Bangladesh with new systems to mitigate the deleterious results of climate change on the latter. As a result, the US ought to make very good on its commitments by accelerating the system of technological innovation transfer and according money backing to Bangladesh’s attempts to beat climate adjust.
Towards a Cooperative Lustrum
From a simple point of view, Dhaka and Washington have substantial options to increase their partnerships on political, financial, cultural, and humanitarian fronts. Upgrading their latest comprehensive ties into a official strategic partnership will be mutually effective for them. As a result, Bangladesh and the US ought to collaborate with just about every other on expanding their multifaceted partnership in buy to develop a better and additional affluent foreseeable future for both of those.
[PhotobytheM[PhotobytheMinistry of International Affairs, Bangladesh]
Md. Himel Rahman is a submit-graduate scholar of Stability Scientific tests at the Division of International Relations, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and a freelance analyst on international and strategic affairs. His articles have been posted in The Diplomat, the South Asian Voices, The Geopolitics, The Each day Star, the Dhaka Tribune, The Daily Observer, and other platforms. The views and viewpoints expressed in this posting are those of the writer.
