Perpetual emergencies, executive power grabs fuelled by global economic shocks: Ali Riaz

The state of perpetual crisis being witnessed globally is not merely a political phenomenon but a systemic one, where states exploit both legal and extra-constitutional means to consolidate executive power, Constitution Reform Commission head and Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Ali Riaz said today (23 November), citing a recent analysis.

Speaking at a plenary session titled 'Fragility as the New Normal: States in Permanent Emergency', organised by the Centre for Governance Studies in Dhaka, he warned that political and economic crises are no longer episodic but define the environment in which states operate.

With routine invocation of emergency powers in 137 countries between 1985 and 2014, states often curtail civil liberties and press freedom, he said.

The event, part of the Bay of Bengal Conversation, brought together policymakers, academics, and international representatives to examine the interplay of domestic and global pressures, technological change, and democratic backsliding in creating a permanent state of fragility.

Moderated by Kazi Faisal Bin Seraj, country representative of the Asia Foundation, the session explored how states must navigate overlapping economic, environmental, and technological challenges while ensuring democratic resilience and civic engagement.

Riaz emphasised that domestic authoritarian measures alone cannot explain the phenomenon. External shocks ranging from global economic shifts, rising Chinese influence, international debt structures, to climate change compound states' vulnerability, he added.

Citing uprisings in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, he noted that global pressures, combined with internal mismanagement, often trigger systemic crises. Technology and climate change further entrench fragility, increasing surveillance capacities and disproportionately affecting weaker states, he said.

"Civic vigilance is essential. The price of democracy is eternal vigilance," he stressed, calling for active citizen engagement to prevent fragility from becoming permanent.

Lulzim Pllana, ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Bangladesh, highlighted how fragility is increasingly "engineered" by external actors. 

Hybrid threats, disinformation, cyberattacks, manipulation of ethnic divisions, and political interference are designed to keep countries in a state of perpetual emergency, he said.

Kosovo's experience demonstrates the necessity of political courage, regional cooperation, and responsible global engagement to break cycles of fragility.

Catherine Cecil, chief of party, Democracy International, stressed that global fragility affects communities and individuals, and democratic resilience must be built from the ground up. 

She identified youth engagement, cross-party cooperation, and combating digital harassment, particularly against women, as key pillars for strengthening democracy.

Cecil cited a multi-party forum in Barguna that successfully prevented communal violence ahead of the 2024 Durga Puja as a model of local collaboration safeguarding democratic norms. She warned that online abuse continues to deter women from political participation, weakening representation and accountability.

Stefan Liller, UNDP resident representative in Bangladesh, examined fragility through economic, environmental, and technological lenses. 

While some economic fragility has decreased — global GDP growth, Asia's rising share of the world economy, extreme poverty reduction — rising income and wealth inequality are driving new vulnerabilities, he said, adding that planetary fragility has worsened, with temperatures already at 1.4°C and coral reefs dying. 

Technological fragility is rising as AI challenges human dominance and reshapes societal expectations, he said.

Liller argued that governments must adopt long-term structural reforms, invest in human development, and maintain multilateral cooperation. 

"This is not the time to retreat from global partnerships," he said, emphasising that the interplay of domestic policy, global pressures, and technological change requires both vigilance and innovative governance.