The TBH Desk
“Say what you will about Hasina, but she has managed the great power competition very effectively,” said Michael Kugelman to Associated Press (AP), director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute.
In a story ahead of Bangladesh national election, AP mentioned all the possible critic against Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. But despite of those critic the report had to say that on the international stage, Hasina has cultivated ties with powerful countries and successfully balanced between rivals.
AP report mentions, she staunchly supports both India and China, even as the two Asian giants are locked in a stand-off over a disputed border region. In turn, Beijing and New Delhi have bankrolled a slew of Bangladesh’s infrastructure projects.
Hasina has also nurtured Bangladesh’s historic ties with Russia, shunned by much of the West over its invasion of Ukraine — even as she increasingly courts Western leaders.
Hasina also won international praise when she gave shelter to Rohingya Muslims fleeing prosecution in neighboring Myanmar in 2017. Some 1.1 million Rohingya live in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh today, and untold numbers of them perish on treacherous sea voyages for a chance of a better life elsewhere.
The United States — the biggest export market for Bangladeshi garments — announced visa restrictions in May on anyone disrupting the electoral process in Bangladesh. The announcement came after Washington expressed concerns over human rights violations and press freedoms in the country.
Analysts saw the move as an attempt to push Hasina to hold a fair election. She hit back, accusing the U.S. of trying to oust her from power, the AP report says.