Abstract: The political stability in Bangladesh, once provided by the Awami League government under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, came to a halt following a ‘student protest’. Hasina’s resignation and departure from the country have led to widespread violence, particularly against minorities, and a general breakdown of law and order. While such political crises are not unprecedented in Bangladesh, the current turmoil is analyzed through various perspectives, including the influence of protest movements and external powers like the US in destabilizing regimes. This talk critically examines three key factors contributing to Bangladesh’s political instability: limited democracy, the Islamization of the polity, and external interventions. It argues that the foundational ideologies envisioned by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's first President—namely nationalism, democracy, socialism, and secularism—never fully took root. Democratically elected governments have struggled to institutionalize these principles, failing to uphold democratic representation, rights, and the rule of law. Furthermore, the Islamization of the polity, characterized by Islamist resistance to democratic values and the pro-Islamic stance of military and military-backed regimes, has impeded democratic progress in Bangladesh. Similar to other South Asian nations, Bangladesh's nation-building process suffers from a lack of consensus among competing stakeholders, making it vulnerable to external interference. Along with these factors, this talk also explores how deeply the political crisis in Bangladesh is rooted in its social fabric.
About the speaker: Dr. Anshuman Behera is an Associate Professor in the Conflict Resolution and Peace Research Programme at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. His research interests are conflict studies, political violence and conflict in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal; democracy, development, and governance in India; religious fundamentalism and terrorism in South Asia, and political theory. His latest books are Varying Dimensions of India’s National Security (Springer Nature, 2022), Maoist Insurgency, State, and People: Overlooked Issues and Unaddressed Grievances (Routledge, 2024); and Negotiating Development at the Margins: Natural Resource, Conflict and People’s Movement in Odisha (Routledge, 2024).