Bangladesh needs pro-people foreign policy: Experts
Bangladesh needs a balance of power and a pro-people foreign policy to move beyond a policy of dependency and think one step ahead, experts have said.
The time has come to look beyond the Bay of Bengal and focus on the entire world, they said. Bangladesh is not dependent on anyone, but rather mutually dependent, the experts said. For this reason, they suggested, Bangladesh's culture needs to be presented globally.
They made the observations at a daylong discussion meeting on "Post July Revolution Foreign Policy of Bangladesh: Navigating New Horizons" at the Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies in Dhaka's Eskaton Garden today. The session, organised by the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, included four different sessions on foreign policy issues.
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Dilara Chowdhury, a former professor of the Department of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University, said, "India is a close neighbour, surrounding us on all sides. If relations with neighbours are poor, it leads to unrest."
She explained, "India will naturally want to bring Bangladesh under its influence, as it is also linked to its security concerns. However, it is not beneficial to solely blame India. Every country looks after its own interests.
"Bangladesh had only sacrificed its own interests. In the future, both India and China will be highly influential in this region. In that case, Bangladesh will need to handle foreign policy with skill."
Professor ASM Ali Ashraf, chairman of the Department of International Relations at Dhaka University, said, "We need to look at who we have the most trade relations with. These trade partners cannot be changed overnight. We must focus on expanding the market while maintaining relationships with them."
He continued, "In our own interest, we must maintain relations with influential countries. At the same time, Bangladesh must preserve its position as the spokesperson for the Third World, as it has established itself in that role."
We need to build the narrative of why India actually needs Bangladesh. We must end the subservient relationship.
Mahdi Amin, adviser to the acting chairman of BNP, said, "When an undemocratic government is in power, the source of its authority is the state apparatus and external forces, as was the case for the past 16 years. Foreign policy was in a state of subservience."
He added, "The BNP has always adhered to a foreign policy based on equality."
Nasiruddin Patwari, convener of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, said, "In 1972, we sold our foreign policy to a single country. From that point until today, we have not been able to rise above it. We have worked as servants to one country. For the past 15 years, we have seen evidence of this. The murderers, who sit in that country, are now conspiring against us."
Sarjis Alam, chief organiser of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, said, "We now need to focus on expansion. Whether land expansion is possible or not will be determined by time. I wouldn't say it will never be possible; expansion might happen. However, at this moment, we must focus on expanding Bangladesh's culture."
Bangladesh's culture needs to be transformed into a global culture, he said. "They have spread their dominance in various ways, and we too must try through our culture and diplomacy."
Sarjis further said, "We need to build the narrative of why India actually needs Bangladesh. We must end the subservient relationship. We believe that we are not dependent; we are mutually dependent.
"The time has come for us to look beyond the Bay of Bengal and focus on the entire world. Our focus must now be sharp. We need to think one step ahead. Whether or not we can navigate a new path, no one will be able to keep an eye on us."
