Ali Riaz is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Illinois State University, USA. He was the Department Chair between 2007 and 2017. He previously taught at universities in Bangladesh, England and South Carolina; served as a Broadcast Journalist at BBC in London, and was a Public Policy Scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Centers for Scholars at Washington D.C.
by Ali Riaz September 08, 2019 The bizarre phenomenon called updating the National Registry of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, completed under the auspices of the Indian central government with direct supervision of the Indian Supreme Court, which made 1.9 million people stateless citizens, has engendered strange events to date and indicates the likelihood of stranger
READ MOREAli Riaz 16 August 2019 More than a week has passed since Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution have been scrapped by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. The complete communication lockdown in Kashmir, imposed in the wake of the abrogation, is still in place; curfew is yet to be lifted in some places; leaders
READ MOREby Ali Riaz 27 July 2019 Although there is no universally accepted definition of the term governance, it has become a buzzword since the 1980s. Policymakers and academics seem to agree that governance is fundamental to both economic and social development and that it cannot be left to governments alone. Over the past decades, the
READ MOREAli Riaz 5 July 2019 The public announce-ment of the resignation of Rahul Gandhi as president of the Indian National Congress on Wednesday was surprising and expected, at once. Soon after the results of the Lok Sabha were announced on May 23, 2019, which delivered a serious blow to the Congress as the Bharatiya Janata
READ MOREAli Riaz 23 April 2019 The wave of terrorist attacks in Sri Lankan churches and hotels frequented by foreigners, which killed at least 290 people and injured around 500, is astounding both in scale and sophistication in planning. This is undoubtedly one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in South Asia in the past decade.
READ MOREAli Riaz March 2, 2019 Oscar Wilde wrote in his 1889 essay “The Decay of Lying” that, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” Little did he know that a century and a few decades later his words would be true in the most literal sense. The events around us often seem so
READ MOREAli Riaz | Prothom Alo Mar 1, 2019 The perennial conflict between India and Pakistan has now taken on proportions of direct military conflict. There is no saying that this will not evolve into a full-fledged war. There is still time to bring things under control, but no room for complacence. Even a limited war
READ MOREby Ali Riaz 24 February 2019 There seems to be an ongoing campaign to have the electoral exercise devoid of the spirit of politics. PHOTO: ANISUR RAHMAN Politics have gone missing from Bangladesh. This may sound naïve, considering that the country had a national election less than two months ago and several elections are upcoming.
READ MOREAli Riaz | Dec 29, 2018 Tomorrow is the election. What sort of election will it be? It has already become unprecedented in many ways. This is the first time that the ruling party and the prime minister Sheikh Hasina are contending to come to power for the third consecutive time. And for the first
READ MOREProfessor Mubashar Hasan, a young professor of political science in Dhaka Bangladesh, has been missing for nearly a week. We appeal to the Government of Bangladesh to find him and secure his release immediately. Time is of the essence. Please help ensure that Dr. Hasan doesn’t become another one of Bangladesh’s “disappeared.” Act now. Please sign
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Bangladesh returned to electoral democracy in January 2009 after two years under a military ‘caretaker’ government. An alliance led by the Awami League (AL) secured a landslide victory in freely conducted election held in late 2008 under the auspices of the caretaker system. There were hopes that the political crisis which had necessitated a military-backed
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