As the US chooses Donald Trump as their next president, Bangladeshi experts have begun weighing in on the potential implications for Dhaka-Washington relations.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, chairman of the committee tasked with preparing a white paper on economy, and Badiul Alam Majumdar, Chief of the Election Reform Commission, believe that the change in the US government following the elections will have no impact on Bangladesh.
Prof of international relations Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, however, said: “We’ll have to wait and see how the relations evolve.”
The US-Bangladesh relation issue gained attention following Trump's tweet condemning the violence against minorities in Bangladesh while criticizing his rival Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in a Diwali message on October 31.
"I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are being attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos," Trump wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
His message, however, has been praised by Awami League supporters who believe the Biden US administration was behind the July-August movement that led to the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister on August 5.
After that, an interim government led by Dr Mohammad Yunus was formed on August 8. Dr Yunus is known to be a close friend of Democratic leaders.
Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, however, said Dr Yunus has friends in both the Democratic and Republican parties.
“I don't think there will be any impact on Bangladesh. The current positive relationship will reach a higher level," he had said recently, adding that Dr Yunus received the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010.
"It required bipartisan support to bestow these awards upon him," he had said.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, and Badiul Alam Majumdar joined an election watch party hosted by the US embassy on Wednesday morning when they shared their views with media as the vote counting was underway.
While acknowledging the importance of the US election results, he said: "Our relationship with the United States does not depend on a single party."
He explained: “There are multiple factors at play, including our trade, strategic, and geopolitical ties. A change in the US president does not alter this overnight. Therefore, there’s no major concern for Bangladesh regarding these results.”
Regarding Trump’s tweet during his election campaign, Badiul Alam Majumdar said: "Although Trump made a tweet, it was likely aimed at securing votes from Indians. I am sure Trump doesn’t even know where Bangladesh is. I don’t think it will have any adverse impact."
He also pointed out that the US is currently facing its own set of challenges: "They are in a crisis, a severe crisis. The divisions within the country are alarming. Many are worried about what will happen next."
Prof Imtiaz, however, said that the new administration would push for a timeframe for the elections.
“In fact, the current administration was also asking for that timeframe. But the new Trump administration will want it clarified. It's a structural issue for the U.S. to work with an unelected government, and the dynamics of relations with the Republicans will be different. So, they will likely push for a quick election,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Referring to Trump’s comment on X, Prof Imtiaz also mentioned that Trump would want to strengthen ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Traditionally, Democrats receive most of the Indo-American votes. However, this time, it seems that in swing states, most of them voted for Trump. Trump will likely try to build a strong relationship with Modi,” he said.
“A kind of trilateral relationship between Russia, China, and India has developed recently, putting the Biden administration in an uncomfortable position. Trump will try to bring India closer. But how far they will succeed remains to be seen. The impact on Bangladesh is also difficult to predict at this moment.
“They (Biden administration) have tried to grow relations with Bangladesh significantly, bypassing India. However, this effort will likely dwindle. We will have to wait and see how the relations evolve,” he said.
“Their efforts will focus on bringing India closer. If that happens, the attention currently given by Washington to Bangladesh may diminish.”
Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at Wilson Center, told Dhaka Tribune before the election that “I don't think Trump would support the current framing of the relationship, which revolves around cooperation on delivering US assistance to Bangladesh to help it rebuild and stabilize.”
“A Trump administration would want to focus the relationship around the issues that drove the partnership when Trump was president the last time—trade and great power competition,” he said.
“However, Bangladesh's economic struggles and the interim government's likely desire to move closer to China could pose obstacles. If there is a Trump victory, Dhaka would have its work cut out for it trying to ensure the relationship doesn't take a turn for the worse—an outcome that Dhaka can't afford, given the importance of the US as a donor and trade destination.”
