Thoughts

Thoughts

Illustration: AI Generated

Countries where free elections and political accountability remain largely absent

Afghanistan, North Korea, Eritrea, Myanmar and Turkmenistan among the world's most closed political systems.

A satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait, a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea, in this handout picture dated July 12, 2026. Photo: Nasa Worldview/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

New wave of war drums in the Middle East: Coincidence or calculated design?

Satellite image shows the East-West pipeline facility in the Hejaz Region, Saudi Arabia, September 8, 2026. Photo: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS

Oil markets survived the Iran war sprint. Now comes the marathon

Illustration: TBS

Bangladesh’s next leap: From stitching garments to building silicon

Illustration: TBS

Minimum tax withdrawal in 36 categories poses a new test for revenue collection

For a family in coastal Bangladesh, the boundary between adaptation and loss and damage is not a negotiating abstraction. Photo: TBS 

Where adaptation ends, loss and damage must begin

Illustration: TBS

Bangladeshi businesses begin testing AI agents that do more than answer questions

A representational image of the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Reuters

Asia's oil industry wants Trump to leave the Gulf, but expects he won't

Bangladesh needs to stop looking at Myanmar through the Rohingya lens alone

Bangladesh needs to stop looking at Myanmar through the Rohingya lens alone

File photo of Dhaka's Elephant road. Photo:Collected

The city that kept the elephants' names but lost the elephants themselves

Illustration: TBS

Beyond the tender: Politics, public projects and state capture

Illustration: TBS

Bangladesh trapped in a cycle of retribution: When will it end?

Representational Image. Photo: Collected

Why Bangladesh needs to rethink its LNG dependence