Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-788cddb947-55tpx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-14T05:46:50.769Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - Bangladesh: divided politics and geopolitics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2012

Deepa M. Ollapally
Affiliation:
George Washington University, Washington DC
Get access

Summary

Bangladesh's short history since independence in 1971 has produced several surprises. Economically, it has defied those who dismissed its prospects from the beginning and has even been an innovator in small-scale economic development. Politically, it has moved haltingly towards a democratic framework that has been durable, if turbulent. Bangladesh's society, too, has been notable for its pluralist ethos and religious co-existence. For the most part, it has also managed to remain relatively insulated from major geopolitical upheavals that have shaken the region and beyond.

Since the elections of 2001, however, politics in Bangladesh has become unexpectedly divisive, exposing sharp polarizations on secular, religious and geopolitical identities. A critical question is whether the increasing violence in the political sphere is a reflection of these fundamental issues or, more simply, competition among parties for political spoils. The rise of Islamist extremism in the country and its implications beyond its borders suggests that we cannot ignore this question, despite the country's promising origins. In addition, as a Muslim majority country, Bangladesh has stood in some contrast to Pakistan and Afghanistan, providing us with a counter-example to developments in the region. For the purposes of this book, the focus here is on how the various identity strands in Bangladesh have interacted over time, with the country first escaping the worst forms of polarization, only to be confronted with them later. Unlike the other chapters, it is the potential for sustained violent extremism that is of concern.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×