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Semester: FALL 2024
Student Name: MD: Abdullah All Noman
Student ID:232-35-349
Batch: 41 Section: K
Course Code: BNS-101
Course Name: Bangladesh Studies
Course Teacher Name: Md. Alamgir Hossain
Designation: Lecturer, Department of Software Engineering
Submission Date: 02/11/2024
Foreign Policy
what is the foreign policy of Bangladesh?
Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has stressed its principle of "Friendship towards all,
malice towards none" in dictating its diplomacy. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement,
Bangladesh has tended to not take sides with major powers.
Foreign relations of Bangladesh?
The foreign relations of Bangladesh are Bangladesh's relationships with foreign countries. The
Government of Bangladesh's policies pursue a moderate foreign policy that heavily relies on
multilateral diplomacy, especially at the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization
(WTO). Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has stressed its principle of "Friendship
towards all, malice towards none" in dictating its diplomacy. As a member of the Non-Aligned
Movement, Bangladesh has tended to not take sides with major powers. Since the end of the
Cold War, Bangladesh has pursued better relations with its neighbours and other nearby states.
The Bangladeshi government has begun to implement a foreign policy that pursues regional
economic integration in South Asia and aims to establish Bangladesh as a regional hub of transit
trade in Asia.
Relations with Major Powers.
•India: A crucial partner, India and Bangladesh share historical ties, economic cooperation, and
security interests. However, issues like border disputes and water sharing remain points of
contention.
•China: Bangladesh has developed strong ties with China, particularly in trade and infrastructure
development, often referred to as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative.
•United States and Europe: Bangladesh maintains diplomatic relations with Western nations,
focusing on trade, investment, and human rights advocacy.
Humanitarian Diplomacy.
Bangladesh is recognized for its humanitarian efforts, especially regarding the Rohingya refugee
crisis. The country has hosted millions of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, advocating for
their rights on international platforms.
Economic Diplomacy.
Economic growth is a priority, with efforts to attract foreign investment and expand trade
partnerships. Bangladesh’s garment industry, a major export sector, plays a significant role in its
foreign economic relations.
Conclusion.
Bangladesh's foreign policy is characterized by a pragmatic approach that balances national
interests with regional cooperation and global engagement. As the country continues to develop,
its foreign relations will likely evolve to address new challenges and opportunities.
References.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh.
• Various scholarly articles and books on Bangladesh's foreign policy.
Foreign Policy: The useful knowledge.
Theforeign policy of a state can be considered as a complex and dynamic political course that it
maintains in relation to other states to protect its own national interest. Generally, it is believed
that foreign policy is a wheel through which the process of international politics operates.
Conceptually, foreign policy is that part of the national policy of a state which relates to the
external environment.
“Foreign policy" according to Morshed Khan, Former Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, "is in
effect a blue print for our interaction with the rest of the World“. Prince Otto Von Bishmark
defined foreign policy as, "the extension of domestic policy." Henry Kissinger gave a simplistic
definition: "Foreign policy begins where domestic policy ends.”
Prof. Joseph Frankel says in his Book ’The Making of Foreign Policy (1993)’ that “foreign
policy consists of decisions and actions which involve to some appreciable extent relations
between one state and others. Padel Ford and Lincoln have defined foreign policy in these words
“a state foreign policy is the totality of its dealings with external environment. Manners and
Whiteman (2000) defined Foreign policy briefly ‘as the sum of official external relations
conducted by an independent actor (usually a state) in international relations’.
Principles of Bangladesh Foreign policy.
Every state follows some principles upon which the entire foreign policy revolves. As an active
member of the United Nations (UN) and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM),
Bangladesh follows the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the principles of NAM. In
fact, Bangladesh's foreign policy has stemmed out of constitutional declaration.
Article 25 of the Bangladesh Constitution stated: Bangladesh shall base its international relations
on the principles of respect for national sovereignty, and equality, non-interference in the internal
affairs of other countries, peaceful settlement of international disputes and respect for
international law and the principles enunciated in the UN Charter.
The keyprinciples of the foreign policy of Bangladesh are:
1. Friendship to All, Malice to None [1(2) of UN charter]
2. Nonintervention in the Internal Matters of Other States [2(7) of UN charter]
3. Equality and Mutual Benefit
4. Respect for Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity, and Political Independence of Other States [2(4)
of UN charter]
5. To Ensure International Peace and Security [NPT/UN] 6. Peaceful Co-Existence.
Bangladesh: A Country with Foreign Policy Maturity .
Bangladesh as an independent country experienced its first challenge in international politics in
terms of its identity and exercising its external sovereignty—that is gaining recognition as a
legitimate member of the international community. It received its one of the first diplomatic
recognitions from India on 8 December 1971. Gaining recognition of majority of countries, and
especially of those who could assist in rebuilding the war-ravaged country became the primary
challenge for Bangladesh, especially as China exercised its veto power to block Bangladesh’s
admission to the United Nations (UN). While Bangladesh-China informal diplomacy continued,
so did Bangladesh’s endeavour to redefine its identity and send the message around the world
that Bangladesh stands as an example of ‘Friendship to all, malice towards none.’ This
foundation of Bangladesh’s foreign policy, laid out by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was soon reflected in its unconditional support to national struggles of
people around in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Bangladesh’s ideological position was
communicated to the rest of the world which paved the way for it to fight against the politics of
misrecognition and eventually it was a full member of the UN. The foreign policy trajectory,
goals, objectives and accomplishments, which led to the emergence of an assertive
Bangladesh, can be categorised in the following manner.
Development Diplomacy.
As stated in the earlier section, economic rebuilding stood as one of the top priorities for
the new-born country. While initially Bangladesh was dependent on foreign aid,
gradually manpower export and a thriving RMG sector changed Bangladesh’s economic
scenario. Bangladesh followed a distinct path of development diplomacy instead of
limiting itself within the realm of economic diplomacy only.20 While economic diplomacy
can be referred to as
“diplomacy [that] tends to be limited to the use of traditional diplomatic tools to achieve
the economic goals of the state”,21 it is rather an umbrella term to include any area of
economic relationship and engagements with international actors such as a state actor
or an intergovernmental actor such as the World Bank, World Trade Organization
(WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the likes. For Bangladesh, it not only
undertook a comprehensive analysis of international demand and supply chain and
became a part of it using its own resources, but also later on targeted its economic
relations keeping in mind its particular development goals and objectives. One may find
it difficult to differentiate and articulate between development diplomacy and economic
diplomacy. The development diplomacy in Bangladesh’s gears towards receiving
foreign aid and identifies the areas of its strength to attract FDIs in its own capacity.
Bangladesh has fared well by applying economic calculations in the manner where after
securing its economic base through pursuing right strategies throughout the first three
decades of its existence. Bangladesh is now seen as one of the key destinations of
FDIs in the South Asian region where its locational reality at the mouth of the Bay of
Bengal works as an easy access to the major sea lanes of communications (SLOCs)
and thus provides an additional impetus. A number of Gulf countries are keen to make
major investment in Bangladesh.
Outcomes of Bangladesh Foreign Policy in different era.
The Success of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1972 75) .
Withdrawal of Indian troops from Bangladesh
1. A Reasonable share of the Ganges water by using his equation with the Indian
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
2. Bangladesh’s participation at the OIC conference in Lahore, the tripartite
agreement of 1974 involving India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to grant
“clemency” to the 195 Pakistani prisoners of war held in India taking into account
the appeal of the “Prime Minister of Pakistan to forgive and forget mistakes of the
past”.
3. Visit Washington and membership in the non-aligned movement to cite some of
the main achievements of Bangladesh’s Foreign policy during the formative
phase.
4. Recognition of Bangladesh by a large number of countries including Pakistan,
the West, the non-aligned and Muslim countries
5. Serious initiatives to seek recognition of China, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh’s
entry into the UN.
Outcomes of Bangladesh Foreign Policy .
The Success of Ziaur Rahman ( 1975 1981 )
1. The principal achievements of the period were consolidation and strengthening of
the relationship with China through widening and deepening of cooperation.
2. Positive initiatives for resolution of outstanding issues with India particularly during
the time of Prime Minister Moraji Desai.
3. Formation of SAARC by enlisting the support of South Asian countries.
4. The other diplomatic achievement of Ziaur Rahman was the election of Bangladesh
as a non permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The Success of H M Ershad ( 1981 1990 )
1. The foreign policy under Ershad did not significantly deviate from what it was
under Ziaur Rahman.
2. Ersahd declared Islam the state of the religion
3. The regional organization: SAARC was formally formed in the time of Ershad
4. Bangladesh Army started to work in the UN Peace Keeping Mission.
