An inter-agency delegation from the Biden administration will shortly have the opportunity to sit with Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus and his colleagues to begin the task of charting a way forward for the US-Bangladesh relationship. Hopefully, these meetings will help tee up a higher-level bilateral meeting in New York during the UNGA.
While it is always dangerous to place too much importance on any one visit, this first formal encounter between senior officials from the two countries since Bangladesh’s July Revolution will nonetheless set the tone for the months to follow (at least until a new US administration takes office in January 2025).
While the focus of the visit will likely be forward looking, both sides will be well aware of recent history. On the positive side, the United States (in particular former Ambassador Haas) had been outspoken in support of Bangladesh’s democracy and human rights in recent years.
At the same time, critics of US policy rightly point out that Washington could have done more to back up its rhetoric, in particular during the months immediately before and after the January 2024 elections.
Despite this, Washington has welcomed the formation of the interim government and Professor Yunus’ appointment as chief adviser. The decision to send a high-level delegation to Dhaka is a sign of Washington’s desire to engage constructively with the interim government and the team’s composition shows that the United States has rightly focused on economic relations.
One issue that will loom large over the visit will be the question of whether the Biden Administration is prepared to deal with Bangladesh on its own merits rather than seeing developments through an Indian prism.
Reporting in the Washington Post and elsewhere provides evidence that a certain amount of skepticism on this score is justified. While it may simply be the result of scheduling realities, the fact that the US delegation is stopping in India before traveling to Bangladesh may add to the speculation that the US has not yet learned its lesson vis-a-vis balancing relations with the two neighbouring countries.
It will be important for the US side to reassure their Bangladeshi counterparts that they are not singing off someone else’s sheet music.
In recent years, much of the US-Bangladesh bilateral dialogue has revolved around the issue of China and Washington’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. This has seemed particularly salient for those in the US government focused on national security, with countering China militarily replacing counter-terrorism as the guiding principle of regional strategy.
Recognizing this, the Hasina regime and its supporters sought to deflect US attention to democracy and human rights by flirting with moving closer to Beijing’s orbit. At times, the US seemed to fall into this trap.
With the August 5 change, there is an opportunity for both sides to redefine Bangladesh’s role in promoting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. Rather than focusing on a potential military role for Bangladesh, fulfilling the promise of the July Revolution presents a powerful alternative to China’s preferred authoritarian model.
There are a number of quick wins available to the two sides to demonstrate their commitment to developing a mutually beneficial partnership.
First, the United States is well positioned to provide support to Bangladesh’s desire for accountability for the crimes committed during the past fifteen years (with a particular focus on July/August). This includes support for criminal prosecution of those responsible for gross violations of human rights as well as efforts to punish those guilty of financial crimes.
Other areas for cooperation include support (both bilateral and through multilateral agencies) for the interim government’s reform agenda. No doubt, there will also be discussions on ways in which both countries can support short term and more durable solutions to the Rohingya refugee problem. More broadly, both sides should commit to encouraging greater private sector engagement, people to people exchanges, and leveraging the Bangladeshi diaspora in the United States to broaden and deepen the bilateral relationship.
The details of all the above can be fleshed out in the existing Partnership Dialogue and its subordinate components. Hopefully, both countries will soon have new ambassadors on station to guide their respective embassies in implementing this agenda.
Jon Danilowicz is an Independent Foreign Policy Analyst and Retired Senior Foreign Service Officer.
