Bangladesh, U.S. pursue post-election reset

U.S. Delegation Visits Bangladesh

A senior U.S. government delegation visited Bangladesh this week with an agenda that included strengthening diplomatic ties and advancing shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region. The group comprised the National Security Council’s Eileen Laubacher, the State Department’s Afreen Akhter, and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Michael Schiffer. Their discussions also focused on climate change, trade, the Rohingya refugee crisis, and labor rights. The delegation met with senior officials, business executives, civil society organizations, and top opposition leaders.

The visit came amid an apparent shift in bilateral relations, especially in terms of tone and messaging. In the months ahead of Bangladesh’s Jan. 7 elections, the United States took strong steps to promote human rights and democracy, including through sanctions, visa restrictions, and public criticism. The State Department characterized the vote as not free or fair. However, on Feb. 6, U.S. President Joe Biden sent a letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that welcomed the “next chapter” in the U.S.-Bangladesh relationship; it did not mention rights or democracy.

During the U.S. delegation’s visit this week, Bangladeshi officials, including Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, underscored the fresh start theme. Salman Rahman, an advisor to Hasina, said the “election is now a thing of the past.” Messaging from both sides was warm and effusive, with plenty of references to the partnership’s strength. This makes for quite the contrast from last April, when Hasina stood before the Bangladesh Parliament and accused the United States of attempting regime change.

What accounts for the turnaround? One possibility is Washington’s desire to distance itself from the highly charged political environment in Dhaka. The more U.S. officials publicly opine about human rights and democracy in Bangladesh, the more they risk getting dragged into it. Last November, for example, the U.S. Embassy expressed deep concerns about violent threats directed at Peter Haas, the U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh.

Strategic considerations are also likely at play. Repeated U.S. public pressure on Bangladesh to hold free and fair elections emboldened both China and Russia, giving them pretexts to accuse the United States of meddling in Bangladesh’s domestic affairs. That pressure also upset India, a key U.S. partner that is closely aligned with Bangladesh’s ruling party. The previous U.S. approach effectively gave Beijing and Moscow an advantage in Dhaka and rankled New Delhi.

Geopolitical factors also play a role in the new U.S. approach. The conflict in neighboring Myanmar is intensifying, and Bangladesh hosts hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees but seeks to repatriate them. Washington wants to ensure that it has sufficient diplomatic space to engage with Dhaka on these sensitive issues. Additionally, with U.S. foreign-policy attention increasingly focused on instability in the Middle East, the United States wants to reduce diplomatic headaches elsewhere.

The shift in U.S.-Bangladesh relations isn’t as sharp as it may seem. Despite tensions over the election, ties were already deepening, especially in the areas identified by Biden as priorities in his letter: trade, defense, climate change, and humanitarian issues. Furthermore, the focus on human rights and democracy will continue. During this week’s visit, Akhter met with leaders of Bangladesh’s main opposition party and discussed the “thousands of opposition members in prison,” according to a U.S. Embassy readout.

Dhaka remains a test case for Washington’s values-based foreign policy, but the experiment is now being conducted with less rigor. The relationship’s tone and messaging are emphasizing positivity and potential, not public pressure. Ultimately, this reflects that, for now, the United States has concluded that smooth relations with Bangladesh are a strategic imperative.

To read the original article in Foreign Policy Magazine, please click here.