What happened in Bangladesh?
Why, how the US staged a coup to expel Prime Minister Hasina
I will be writing a longer article on this topic, but here is the summary of what transpired in Bangladesh. It’s a consequential event, by the way.
What happened
PM Hasina had to flee the country after massive protests by the opposition party, and the military/police elites switched sides.
It was a standard color revolution by the US — just like the ones seen in Sri Lanka in 2022 and Ukraine in 2014
All the usual suspects were involved — National Endowment of Democracy (NED), US state department officials — including Victoria Nuland, US ambassador, US social media etc.
Key opposition leaders were/are based of the Five Eyes countries — mostly in the US/UK.
Yunus, the new leader of the interim government, is a Fulbright scholar, recipient of US Congressional Medal of Honor, friend of the Clintons and so on.
Why the US removed Hasina from power
Hasina strived for neutrality. Under her administration, Bangladesh was a friend of India, China, Russia, and the USA.
Bangladesh joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2016, received tens of billions of dollars from China for infrastructure, investment (FDI), aid and loans.
Bangladesh had Russia build a nuclear power plant; and then paid for it in Chinese yuan
Hasina also wanted to join the BRICS.
If all those “crimes” were not enough, she refused to let the US build military bases in Saint Martin Island (yea, strange name for an island that belongs to Bangladesh).
How the US worked on the coup for years
By early 2021, US media started writing negative articles about Hasina, and started calling government a “regime.” That world always means that the US is going to try a “regime change.”
In Dec 2021, Biden had a “Democracy Summit,” but refused to invite Hasina.
For the next two years, various US officials flew to Bangladesh and met with the opposition party. And then kept whining about “fair and free elections.”
The US has been grooming college students in Bangladesh for years. Dhaka University gets a lot of funding from the US — especially the political science department, which is the hotbed of radicalism.
The NED also funds numerous NGOs in Bangladesh. All these people are brainwashed about democracy, freedom, transparency, justice etc., which they will not enjoy under the new regime either.
Was Hasina a “dictator”?
Pro-America dictators are never disparaged as “dictators.” Yes, in an objective way, Hasina suppressed the opposition party.
However, that’s how Bangladesh has always been. Hasina’s father — also the father of Bangladesh — was assassinated by the opposition party! Many attempts were made by her opponents to assassinate her as well.
It’s a mess, but she was much nicer than her opponents, who survived to collude with the US and banish her from power.
Under her rule, Bangladesh’s GDP more than quadrupled; she was a secular Muslim who protected the rights of minorities, including Hindus.
The opposition party (BNP) is aligned with Jamaat-e-Islami, which is classified as a terrorist group by India, Russia and others.
What it means to India
Extremely bad news for India, since the new regime in Bangladesh will be closely aligned with Pakistan. (Remember that the US staged a soft coup in Pakistan in 2022).
This also means that the US is backstabbing India and is getting ready to contain India.
What it means to China and Russia
Bad news for both China and Russia. The new regime will likely dial down the closer relations of the past.
Plus, if the US gets a naval/air base in St. Martin island, it will be used to disrupt Myanmar, which is strategically very important for China. And, in case there's a US-China war in the future, Bangladesh will play a major role in attacking China’s soft belly — the southern region.
Conclusion
Bangladesh will have a fake election when the pro-US candidate is guaranteed to win. They will not allow Hasina back into the country. it will be like how Zelensky banned opposition parties, and then canceled the elections in Ukraine.
Geopolitically, the fascinating developments to watch will be Bangladesh’s relations with India and China. Plus, watch the US-India relations get rocky and unstable.
— S.L. Kanthan
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