Opinion
US -China conflict: A civilizational or a cold war ?
The Wagner rebellion has proven that Putin’s world is shaky and decidedly incompetent. Western commentators are also saying that it has hit China too. Since, both are allies, therefore, a weak Russia means the Sino-Russo alliance is weakened and thus so is China.
Some have also speculated that the alliance itself is weakening as China is now taking advantage of the Russian problems and making money through trade and other deals. Reports are cited that China had requested Russia to postpone the invasion till after the Olympics to settle several other issues before it. However Russia went ahead but China has coped and also took advantage of the situation to make money and strengthen its currency. It’s also waiting to take over the leadership of the anti-West cluster as Russia and Putin are shrinking in clout and victories every day and China will lead by default.
Read: Just a day after Blinken’s Beijing visit to stabilize US-China relations, Biden calls Xi Jinping a ‘dictator’
No matter what the veracity of the observations, the fingers point to a West that is very concerned about the inevitable /potential rise of China and the inevitable slide of Russia –already visible- due to the Ukraine war .
Is “race”/”civilization” pushing US policy?
It’s curious how the responses and interpretation of the new cold war –“Sino –US” differs from the older version. The Chinese are part of the “inscrutable East '' while Russia, despite being a bad boy, is part of the West. As scholar Samuel Huntingdon had said this in his book “Clash of Civilizations,’ Russia is part of the West.
In general Western public are far less bothered about international politics. They are focused on everyday life issues, hence domestic politics dominates. Interestingly, public interest rises only when foreign policy conflicts are reported on Iran, North Korea and China. It’s obvious who the enemies are in most minds.
Various studies including election related ones have shown that most right wingers and ideological racists are in favour of military engagement with Muslim states and China. Due to voting reasons and strategy, it’s not easy to speak of engagement and win votes. And it was easier to deal with one “evil” power-Soviet Union- but after a spell of Muslim countries- Iran, Iraq, Syria- as super villains, China has emerged as the big one. It’s more uncomfortable because it has emerged to contest the US when life was supposed to be easier after the Soviet Union’s fall.
Read: Blinken and Xi pledge to stabilize deteriorated US-China ties, but China rebuffs the main US request
For the US, it’s easy to understand Russia but both China and the Islamic world present a face they don’t know how to handle. They have nothing in common with these “Villains”.
China not “White” ?
Apart from the obvious race connotations which are globally common, such colour codes do denote power plays as well. Human History began with the Blacks, then moved to the Whites and the Yellow challenge is now taking place. The combined economic strength of the South East Asian countries including Japan and China are huge and they form a racial bloc as well. Any ‘racial “transition concept is denied in international politics and academia or that it isn’t a major but it does exist as fact. Hence China as a contestant is not just an economic power but a civilizational and cultural competitor as well.
Read more: Blinken to meet Xi, State Department says, in bid to ease US-China tensions
The recent Wagner episode shows that Russia is indeed weaker and its model of outsourced warfare carries inherent problems too. And this weakened Russia means the anti-Western axis is increasingly coming under China’s leadership though how effective one is not sure. What it does say is that the obvious failure to end the war and the more obvious failure to use the war by both sides - Russia and the West- to gain proves once more the limits of Western supremacy has been seen.
And that makes China even more visible than before and so is its perception as a threat.
Disclaimer: Views expressed here are of the writer.
China’s new foreign policy law: Its potential impact on global politics
As of Saturday, 1st of July, China’s foreign policy is being conducted within the framework of the new ‘Foreign policy Law’, adopted by the Standing committee of the National Peoples’ Congress, the country’s highest legislative body. It comes when China’s relations with the United States are at their nadir, with a burgeoning bi-partisan perception of China in the US as the principal adversary in the global arena. It is one of the very few areas where there is a conceptual agreement between the principal foes in the American domestic political scene, President Joe Biden and the former President Donald Trump. At least on this it appears that there is nary any sunlight between them. It does not bode well for the prospects of a peaceful world in the times ahead.
But what does the new ‘Law’ entail and why did China find it necessary to adopt and announce it at this point in time? At present there are 52 laws pertaining to foreign affairs in China and 150 others that contain clauses that influence how China relates to the rest of the world. However, now that China perceives that the adversarial competition with the US and the West in general is almost structural, it feels that there should be greater focus on buttressing its basic legal system further to address the growing concerns safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests. The Chinese authorities believe that the new law would help strengthen China’s image as a responsible major global actor championing peace, development and mutual benefit. Also, according to a Western scholar, Moritz Rodolf of the Yale Law School, the law affords Beijing a “broad room “for interpretation on how to apply international treaties domestically.
QU Dongyu of China re-elected FAO Director-General
The new law, adopted on 28th June, comprises six chapters incorporating 45 articles. While expounding China’s positions on international exchanges, the law emphasizes that “opening up to the outside world is necessary for ‘mutual benefit’ and is a fundamental policy of the government. It underscores China’s commitment to developing foreign trade, actively promoting and protecting, in accordance with the law, inbound foreign investment, encouraging external economic cooperation including outbound investment, and promoting high-quality development of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). It affirms China’s commitment to upholding the multilateral trading system, opposing unilateralism and protectionism, and working towards an open global economy.
Importantly, the law also focusses on safeguarding national sovereignty, and development. It iterates China’s right to take appropriate measures to counter acts that endanger its sovereignty, security and development interests in violation of international law or norms governing international relations. It stresses that China will protect the legitimate rights and interests of its citizens, and its other overseas interests against any threat or infringement. Clearly these are indicators of big-power behavior, a status to which China obviously is persuaded that it has graduated.
Just a day after Blinken’s Beijing visit to stabilize US-China relations, Biden calls Xi Jinping a ‘dictator’
Interestingly, the law promises to provide a “Chinese approach to advancing the international cause of human rights”. It does not, however, elaborate on how the “Chinese approach” would vary from currently held views on those values. The law critiques the countries of the West without naming them, who tend to extend overseas the “longarm jurisdiction” of their domestic laws. It describes such “long arm jurisdiction” as a “showcase of hegemony, “of which China is a victim. China strongly opposes these tendencies, the Law stipulates.
This new piece of Chinese legislation was explained further by China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. In recent times the US has imposed sanctions on a long list of Chinese companies and individuals, accusing them of complicity in human rights abuses, which China has vehemently denied. Some of these sanctions have gravely affected China’s ability to access the critical technology required for semiconductors. Also, these have forced many Chinese firms to cut back on jobs and halt any expansion plans. Terming such actions as “bullying” from abroad, Wang Yi published a media article arguing that this law would help counter such acts. The law, in his words, is “an important measure to strengthen the Communist Party Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership over foreign affairs “. Wang Yi clarified his views on what really lay at the root of China’s decision to propound the law in the manner that it did. He said: “Facing severe challenges, we must maintain our strategic capacity… and deftly use the weapon of the rule of law to continuously enrich and improve our legal ‘toolkit’ in the struggle with overseas (powers)”.
US and China are talking at a high level again, but their rivalry remains unchecked
The Law is also a creeping advance on the concept of President Xi Jinping’s Zhang Guomeng or ‘China Dream’, which initially, at the outset of the last decade, comprised mainly a combination of the ideas of a ‘new kind of big-power relationship with the US’, a ‘win-win’ interaction with all other countries, and the stimulating of domestic demand for Chinese manufactures. Later, the idea of a broadened version of the ‘Old Silk Road’ was added, calling it the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI), linking nations across continents with a network of communication and mega-projects. The current law also seems to incorporate the more recent thoughts on the ‘Global Development Initiative’, ‘the Global Security Initiative’, and the ‘Global Civilization Initiative’. It seems that all these components are being constantly sharpened and honed as the ‘China Dream’ is being recalibrated, almost as a continuing process, to respond to changing international scenarios.
China obviously has come a long way since Deng Xiaoping’s advice to his people to “hide (their) capabilities” and ‘bide (their) time’. The new Law seems to suggest that the Chinese now believe China is not simply ‘rising’; it has already ‘risen’. Obviously, the Chinese sense that there is now a felt-necessity that values on such universal principles as “human rights” are necessary to be projected as part of their external doctrine, even if these be formulated within the paradigm of a “Chinese approach”. Nations will look to a greater understanding of what these values would entail and to what extent these would be in consonance with their current aspirations. It is evident of course that China is quietly moving to position itself pivotally on the globe. World politics of the near future will be determined by how the West, and in particular the US, reacts to this phenomenon.
Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury is the Honorary Fellow at the Institute of South Asia Studies, NUS. He is a former Foreign Advisor (Foreign Minister) of Bangladesh and President & Distinguished Fellow of Cosmos Foundation.
The views addressed in the article are his own.
He can be reached at: isasiac @nus.edu.sg
A splendid portrait of the third cow child
Naeem Mohaiemen’s book arrival news was doing the rounds on social media for a while and had generated a great deal of interest. It was recently launched by ULAB Press and Nokta amidst enthusiasm. It’s a very brave book if one may say as it discusses arts of all topics including its impact on society and beings.
The author shares its pages with other writers and artists as well making it a fascinating act of literary art. It is more curated than edited if one may say. And that is what makes this book, words that are barely readable mixed with fuzzily printed pics so interesting to elderly eyes as that of this reviewer. Never mind, younger eyes will get it and the spirit of the season is the king.
Paris burning: Trouble in the 'sushil' paradise
It’s a very confident book, confident of what it wants to say and to whom as well. The book has certainly made its point and the target audience will really appreciate the musings. The literati with a touch of glitterati and those with less as well will truly appreciate the book. The rest of the lot will be laying hands on a book which takes arts seriously and that is a mighty rare book in Bangladesh indeed.
The third child syndrome
The title, in so many ways, sums up not just the time and place of the author’s Bangladesh but its geography as well. The restless third of the cow springing around because it can’t get a nip at the mother cow’s udders aptly describes Bangladesh. All noise and dance but milk has a queue and the third has to await its turn too. History so cleverly captured the eternal land of shudros, playing North India’s heir to India and its Muslim version called Pakistan. Or could it have a different cow-mother?
Why a cry for democracy shouldn’t be a cry for destabilisation in Bangladesh
“Midnight's Third Child” by Naeem Mohaiemen is a collection of essays on Bangladeshi visual art and artists in several forms and shapes and sizes. Other topics are touched on too including a touch of examining the role of an artist as one of the producers of history.
Naeem dwells on other issues in passing too ranging from the CHT marginalization to street movements to Dhaka’s eroding greenery. In some sense, it’s this very variety that becomes the theme of the book as it tries to come to terms with a reality that is built rather than organic. Going by the way he looks at largish avenues shorn of green and wonders where have all the grass gone, the guilty pleasure of owning one of those fancy apartments of some of this book’s readers may be a trifle more.
Between the lines, among the pages
There is so much missing in Bangladesh and not just the green. It’s the least of the three -India, Pakistan and Bangladesh baby-cows in every space particularly caste. It's full of peasants whose souls were probably captured best by the man who did so much to end Pakistan — Ayub Khan — who said Bangladeshis were a bunch of mother obsessed Hindu inferiors. That mother focused child image never leaves us and we never let go.
Wagner and Putin: What really happened?
Except for the fanatic patriot everyone apologizes for being a Bangladeshi. And it’s on this very difficult terrain indeed that Naeem has chosen to spend his eyes and heart. Not just his own but that of others as well who dwell on this very conflicting mental space. How do you discuss your sort of “rogue ancestors” if one goes by FB conversations, in discussing Bangladesh? To his credit, he does it quite enchantingly.
Naeem speak
Naeem Mohaiemen belongs to a special breed of Bangladeshis, the eloquent elite who have a fantastic Western education and then continue to distribute it to the Westerners, no mean feat. It permanently banishes any stigma, past, present, future in Bangladesh. Life can’t be easy for a soul like him who is so sensitive and yet has written eloquently questioning the soul of his own land.
It’s this “ask” which defines so much of what he says. As Zafar Sobhan said at the launch, “Naeem has always put Bangladesh, Bangladeshis, and the Bangladeshi intellectual world at the heart of his writing and the heart of his art.” (The Daily Star). That is not an easy task no matter where one lives.
South Asia goes for strategic polyamory
He has produced documentaries, almost historical and of expired history too if one will. He wonders at the role of “nations and shushils” as the land moved through passages of time, based on so many histories which the proxy middle class rules the roost. 1952, comes and goes and becomes a myth that is robust enough to serve endless generations or even more.
He sees culture workers as resistance artists of sorts as they are bundled in protests and waiting for the first bullet to be fired and become larger than life, certainly death, even as the bodies lie still (page 88+). That narrative goes on and on proving once more that given its hugely limited space in Bangladesh society where social media has completely overwhelmed the shushil art forms which the book deals with, they survive.
And Naeem Mohaiemen pays serious attention to that. Not many do and yet he has done so with great compassion and the passion of a believer and the mind of a professional intellectual. In the end, it’s almost a book of aspirant sacrosanct intentions, muted yes but still there…
Not just himself…
The sheer size of the artist’s paddy fields that he has tilled is the most admirable part of the book. Be it photography, documentary films or landscape gardening, Naeem has not lost sight of that. He seems to be ferociously territorial, wanting to say it all, even as he tries to remain low keyed and shares the book’s page with others.
Serajul Alam Khan dies: Enigmatic personality, influential politician
Yes, it matters he says and in stating that he wants to prove that it’s not the earth shattering changes they triggered that could be claimed but that they did respond and react to history. In 1952, nobody may fully know barring a few how many died in the processions and who by stray bullets but it no longer matters. Memory and art have overcome reality to become history.
As history moves on, all the dead become part of a long procession of souls who are sea changed into martyrs and that produce more history in return even as the monuments and memorials are washed with the colors of memory and forgetting. Art triumphs indeed. And so does the book in the author’s splendid gaze guiding his hands and words.
Midnight’s Third Child: Naeem Mohaiemen; Published by Nokta in association with the ULAB Press. March 2023
Paris burning: Trouble in the 'sushil' paradise
Paris is on fire and it’s not just in reality but metaphorically as well. A North –African 17 tear old delivery boy called Nahel was killed at a traffic stop when police stopped him and then he at some point tried to start his car. A policeman fired on him from close range to apparently stop him and he was killed. The police initially made up stories that he was a threat to their life etc so they fired but video records showed otherwise.
Finally, the authorities owned up to the killing and have now pressed charges against the policeman. Meanwhile, Paris is up in flames as protests raged across the poor districts where most migrants of North Africa live. Nahel’s mother Mounia led marches in her area.
Unlike previous times, the authorities can’t blame that the boy was a jihadi or something and draw attention away from the police action. He was a simple lawbreaker and nothing political about it.
The land most “shushils” think is the paradise of human rights, ideas, and freedom has been acting remarkably unlike one, going by media reports.
North African and Muslim
What Western media has carefully managed to avoid is the fact that the killed boy is of North African descent and all North Africans are from French colonies and all are Muslims. The objective is obvious. Both France and the West want to avoid a global backlash and turn it into a cause of Muslims particularly during the hajj. The French are the most repressive of all colonial powers and have a systemic oppression policy against its ex-colonial subjects living in France, mostly Paris.
The anger against the French government and state is therefore socially led by the most denied group. To this has been added resentment against the near license given to the police to act as it wishes to preserve law and order. President Macron vigorously defended the police after the killing, saying it’s not their fault but that of an individual policeman. That the individual policeman is a product of the system may have escaped the President’s mind.
The violent protests
For the first couple of nights, it was the fireworks and flames. The police were outnumbered and couldn’t control the situation. Their number went from 9,000 to 40,000 immediately. But the media reports that it isn’t working. Street reports say that the police are acting more like cover for the fire crews . Once a fire is doused, they move on and the crowd is back in charge.
It's easy to say that the disorder can't just go on, but so far that's exactly what has happened. It won’t go on for long but the problem remains alive till the next outburst.
What France needs is a solution and it doesn’t have exactly that ingredient.
Wagner and Putin: What really happened?
Western media is lamenting the aborted “mutiny” by the Wagner Group's forces which they hoped would topple Vladimir Putin. What they were describing as the biggest challenge ever posed to Putin's grip on power, was eventually put down without a shot being fired. Putin is still in power and Wagner seems to have slipped as a potential threat to the Russian supremo. The story is a complex one, as it shows how the many forces including clandestine ones are involved in the Ukraine war on both sides.
Also read: Wagner chief breaks his silence after aborted mutiny
A chef's army?
Yevgeny Prigozhin is a colourful character who has remained in the Kremlin's orbit in some form or the other (including engagements that earned him the nickname 'Putin's chef') throughout the 23 years that Putin has ruled Russia. He has said he founded the Wagner Group PMC (private military contractor), modelled in form and function on Blackwater, an American PMC that enjoyed heavy deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, in 2014. Working as an auxiliary force under the Russian army's command, Wagner forces marked their presence in a number of countries where Russian troops were deployed over the last decade or so, from Syria to Mali.
Also read: US, NATO had no involvement in Wagner's 'short-lived' revolt in Russia: Biden
Last Saturday (Jun. 24) though, Prigozhin seemed to flip that script, as he mobilised around 8,000 of his men to march against Moscow. Western media outlets were quick to seize upon Prigozhin's public outbursts and frustration with the military leadership aired in recent weeks to conclude he had launched 'a coup'. To be fair, he himself was calling it “a march for justice”. At best, he was hoping to capture the Russian defense ministry in Moscow. Additionally, he demanded the resignation of the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu and the chief of army staff, Valery Gerasimov.
Wagner forces were apparently being led towards Moscow by its other founder Dmitri Utkin, a decorated former soldier who probably calls the real shots in the group (Prigozhin has no military experience to speak of) but last appeared in public in 2016. It all seemed serious enough that the mayor of Moscow actually cancelled all public events in the city scheduled for the following week, as if anticipating a bloody struggle for the capital once Wagner's convoy reached the city limits. But just as abruptly as it had all erupted, the Wagner rebellion fizzled out. Just 120 miles from Moscow, the convoy stopped and turned around.
Also read: Russian defense minister makes first public appearance since mercenary revolt as uncertainty swirls
Prigozhin himself never moved from his HQ at Rostov-on-Don, a garrison town near the Ukrainian border that Wagner now controls. From there he tried calling old friend Putin, who refused to talk to him.
Prigozhin suddenly found himself without the promised support, no mass movement, his troops facing certain annihilation and his family exposed to unspeakable danger. So he sought the support of old ally Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, to plead on his behalf. It worked - at least to the extent that he was provided safe passage into the arms of Lukashenko.
With Putin hovering in the background, a deal was struck. Prigozhin for now remains in exile in Belarus. Treason charges would be dropped. The Wagner army, said to number anywhere between 20,000 to 50,000 in total, would be offered contracts to be absorbed into the Russian army, or to exit home. Many have signed up.
Six months in the making?
Prigozhin had reportedly been planning this move for months, building up the situation by accusing the Russian army of corruption, failure to support him and losing the Ukraine war itself. In response the Russian army announced, all Wagner members would have to sign contracts and submit to Russian army orders.
Prigozhin refused and claimed the Russian army was attacking him.Unconfirmed reports on social media also say he made contacts with Ukrainian military intelligence around January this year. Others say he was instigating forces within Russia as well against Putin. Wagner is itself a product of Russian military intelligence, the GRU and Wagner co-founder –Utkin- is a GRU special operator.
So Russian military politics was part of the plan and it’s quite possible that he may have been egged on by forces within the Russian security apparatus who are anti-Putin, or at least anti-Shoigu & Gerasimov.
But the fact remains that no uprising took place as some expected whether from the civil or military forces.
War, ambition and exile
While it lasted, Wagner forces took down Russian helicopters and a transport aircraft killing almost forty personnel. This made accommodation by the Russian army impossible. Prigozhin was also accused of corruption: his companies sell goods apparently at inflated prices. Those contracts were canceled a week or so before Prigozhin went full-on rogue.
But the most serious accusation made by his foes is not just about the deals with Ukraine’s secret intelligence services, but the United States too. As these can’t be confirmed, they mean that whether true or not, Wagner can’t operate independently.
What didn’t happen in Russia was a general uprising and an open fracturing of the security apparatus. But it's obvious that the Russian military is rife with clandestine deals, conspiracies and lack of a common cause and leadership.
'Protest, not mutiny'
Speaking before leaving for his exile in Belarus, Prigozhin said his actions were a protest against the order to be placed under the Russian military and not an uprising. He also regretted shooting down the planes that caused so many deaths.
Putin meanwhile, thanked his armed forces for not just preventing an uprising but a civil war as well, even though they seemed to be enjoying a weekend off. As ever, nothing is certain and everything remains as mysterious as before in this “war of secrets.”
Why a cry for democracy shouldn’t be a cry for destabilisation in Bangladesh
Earlier this month, six Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sent a letter to Josep Borrell, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, and asked him to step in to ensure free and fair election in Bangladesh – if need be, under a caretaker government. The Embassy of the European Union in Dhaka considered it as solely their personal views, not those of the EU. Prior to that, six congressmen sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, asking him to protect the “persecuted” religious and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh. The timing of the letters is noteworthy, considering the visit of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, to attend the preparatory conference of the UN peacekeeping ministerial in Dhaka on June 25-26.
Let’s deal with the issues one by one. First, let’s delve into elections under the caretaker government system, then the state of minorities in Bangladesh, and lastly, the geopolitical connotations of the abovementioned letters.
Read more: Letter from 6 members of European Parliament reflects views of signatories, Ambassador tells UNB
Bangladesh Awami League was at the forefront of demanding a caretaker government in 1996. The erstwhile BNP government had to succumb to the popular demand articulated by the Awami League. AL came to power through free and fair election under the non-party caretaker government. In 2001, Awami League handed over the power peacefully, for the first time in Bangladesh’s history, to a caretaker government. AL got 40.13 percent of votes compared to BNP’s 40.97. The former secured only 62 seats and the latter, 193 seats. The Four Party Alliance, including BNP and Jamaat-e Islami, formed the government and got a two-thirds majority in the parliament required for amending the constitution. They raised the retirement age of the chief justice of Bangladesh, so that their chosen Chief Justice of Bangladesh KM Hasan could be the Chief Adviser to the next caretaker government – a move many political analysists refer to as “corrupting” the caretaker government system. The last nail was hammered by Iajuddin Ahmed, the then President of Bangladesh, who assumed the role of chief adviser to the caretaker government. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh declared this caretaker government system “illegal” in 2011.
Without an iota of doubt, our democracy is not perfect. We need to develop our democratic institutions, and we need support from our friends in the democratic West for building and strengthening the democratic institutions. But supporting a cause with no democratic future will not help Bangladesh progress in this regard.
Read more: 6 congressmen’s letter to Biden a ‘false projection’ of the state of Bangladesh’s minorities, community leaders say
The letter from six US congressmen to President Biden accuses the current Bangladesh government of “persecuting” ethnic and religious minorities along with other allegations. Several noted minority community leaders have already rejected this assertion, calling it “absolutely false projection” of the state of minorities in Bangladesh. Advocate Rana Dasgupta, leader of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, called the claim “a travesty of truth.” Bangladesh Buddhist Federation called it “baseless and fabricated.” Nirmal Rozario, president of Bangladesh Christian Association, also rejected the six US congressmen’s claim of persecution of the Christian community in Bangladesh.
The Awami League government reintroduced secularism in the constitution of Bangladesh. It also made provisions relating to the protection and advancement of the cultures of ethnic minorities of Bangladesh in the constitution.
The Bangladesh government was not always successful in fulfilling its commitments enshrined in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. However, we must not forget that this peace accord was made possible by the Awami League government back in 1997.
Read more: Letters from 6 MEPs and 6 US congressmen: Netizens point out curious similarities, including misspelling Bangladesh PM’s name
Let’s get to the heart of the problem. We are at a watershed moment in the geopolitical history of Bangladesh. Not by our choosing, our country has become a playground of international politics. It is both comforting and concerning. Comforting, because our economic development along with other things has made us geopolitically important. Concerning, because we have become a bone of contention between China and the US. Earlier, it was thought that BNP was a natural ally of China and Awami League was an ally of India. Interestingly, this has changed due to the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She adopted her father’s foreign policy of “friendship to all, malice towards none.” She extended her hand of friendship to both India and China – two regional powerhouses and competitors. She was never hostile to the United States. However, under the Trump administration, the US was folding its carpet of influence in South Asia – relying mostly on India on issues relating to Bangladesh. China has expanded its reach in Bangladesh and other countries in South Asia. Now, Western leaders seem to be waking up to this rise and expansion of Chinese influence in South Asia and beyond. Perhaps they feel the time is ripe for them to mount pressure on Bangladesh, disregarding the concern that this could instigate violence and instability in the region that might hamper their interests as well as those of Bangladesh and its neighbours.
Bangladesh, argues Jared Cohen in his article “The rise of geopolitical swing states” (Goldman Sachs, May 15, 2023), is a geopolitical swing state. The foreign policy stance of the present Bangladesh government, i.e., “friendship to all, malice towards none”, gives it strategic autonomy. It enforces the international relationship dynamics of no permanent friendship or permanent enmity. China opposed Bangladesh’s independence, of course, not to the extent of the US, in 1971. Despite that, Bangladesh never hesitates when it comes to Chinese and American investments. Bangladesh has engaged in multi-alignment, not in non-alignment. Jared Cohen thinks that non-alignment is not possible in today’s world. Perhaps he is right. To protect national interests, however, Bangladesh should remain non-aligned, even in the face of increasing geopolitical pressure – of which, the recent letters of US congressmen and members of the European Parliament are a few examples.
The writer is former chairman of National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh.
Is plant-based, oral insulin next soon?
A plant based insulin on trial which could change the world for diabetics.
Insulin is the savior for serious and long term diabetics. But the pen delivered insulin often acts too rapidly causing hypoglycemia –extremely low blood sugar-, damaging body organs several ways and occasionally causing strokes and even death. Insulin pumps regulate better but are beyond the reach of most. For many, therefore a plant based insulin that is taken orally can be the answer. And it’s possibly going to be much cheaper. ( Medical News Today . 21/6/23)
The good news comes from researchers working at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine working on the project. This alternative contains all three essential peptides, shields insulin through plant cell walls, and regulates blood sugar levels similar to natural insulin, reducing hypoglycemia and other risks. It would revolutionize insulin therapy globally.
What is plant-based insulin?
Insulin pens work but also leads to a rapid absorption into the bloodstream which often drops blood sugar levels dramatically and quickly below the healthy level causing hyp+os.. Automated insulin pumps provide accurate doses but they are costly and only a fraction of diabetes patients worldwide can access them.
Machine produced insulin lacks one of the three peptides found in natural insulin. The plant based insulin developed by researchers includes all three peptides and can be taken orally. Gut microbes break the insulin down and then the released insulin is transported to the liver through the gut-liver axis.
Read: Diabetic patients to get free insulin at community clinics: PM Hasina
Clinical trials show that this insulin effectively regulates sugar levels within 15 minutes of ingestion like natural insulin. Traditional insulin given to the same lot of lab animals caused hypoglycemia.
A novel manufacturing process
The team of researchers had been working for some time on the project and believes its commercially viable. They first identified the human insulin genes and utilized a method known as a “gene gun” to break through the cell walls of the plants and introduce the genes. These insulin genes were then incorporated into the genome of the chosen plant, in this case, lettuce.
The plant seeds permanently inherited the insulin genes, and the mature lettuce plants were freeze-dried, ground, and prepared for oral administration in accordance with the regulatory guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the study team.
The traditional method of insulin production involves cultivating the hormone within bacteria or yeast cells. This approach is costly and requires purification and temperature control for transportation and storage. The plant-based insulin production method eliminates the need for expensive laboratory equipment. And it remains stable at room temperature reducing costly, cold storage needs.
Clinical trials of plant-based insulin upcoming
In the case of humans, utilizing plant-based delivery methods for medications has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of diabetes and various other diseases.
Read: Diabetes patients to get free insulin in future: Health Minister
The research is not without precedent, as the FDA has already approved drugs made in plant cells for oral delivery such as peanut plant cells to treat allergies.
Improving global access to medicines
Dr. Henry Daniell, vice-chair and W.D. Miller, professor in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine, and lead researcher of the study, highlighted the key findings to Medical News Today.
He emphasized the issues around insulin accessibility, noting that “around the globe, one-third of the population earns $2 per day, and insulin is beyond their reach.”
In addition, Dr. Daniell noted how this research “addresses the high cost of insulin,” pointing to previous studies about the high cost of insulin and how patients ration insulin due to the cost, risking their health and well-being.”
This could well be one of the biggest breakthroughs in insulin management since insulin itself was developed.
Read more: MoU signed with US company to set up first ever vaccine producing plant in country
South Asia goes for strategic polyamory
Pakistan and Russia are trying their best to become friends. Reasons are as simple as they come. Russia needs to sell and Pakistan wants to buy "quick and cheap." Russia recently delivered crude oil to Pakistan through the Karachi port in mid-June. The deal struck was in April to send 100,000 metric tons of Russian crude to Pakistan, more than a year into Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The deal has implications beyond trade and economics. Everything that happens with Pakistan has an Indian angle and this is no different. Russia is not part of Pakistan’s close circle but it is of India. However, that relationship is supposedly under stress according to some sources, largely US.
The situation also shows that the older version of “friends’ forever” syndrome and “my side is your side” model has undergone some change. What is cutely called the global south isn’t full of leaders and people who are so dumb that they believe in permanent loyalty to any bloc including the West. Many are striking a balance to keep relations going with Moscow, the West, Beijing and even a few stray extra-terrestrial aliens if they came their way. And the Ukraine war has hastened the process.
Old wars, new friends
Read: ‘Asian Century’ presents an opportunity to South Asia: India
Russia and Pakistan were serious enemies particularly during the SEATO-CENTO days of the cold war. It peaked during the 1971 war when Russia supported India and of course the US supported Pakistan followed by China looking for new friends and allies against Russia.
Things however got better during the later stage of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan as their interests found a common point around the issue of counterterrorism and reconciliation with the Taliban. In 2022 when Imran Khan, the then PM of Pakistan visited Moscow, energy was at the top of the agenda. By then Russia had invaded Ukraine. That however is a whole new mess and its outcome is still murky but the situation is uncertain and pushing countries to take very unusual decisions on the run.
The April oil deal was called a “trial run”, but obviously more is there in the barrel than that dribbles down . Apparently Pakistan is planning to fill one –third of its tank with Russian crude which means it also indicates a desire to rely less on ME crudes only. Global uncertainty is creating new alignments.
And Russia is not holding back the friendship bottle from pouring hard either. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov marked 75 years of bilateral relations with Pakistan by ending his speech with a “Long live Pakistan-Russia ties” in Urdu. Never mind what Tolstoy would think.
The blossoming of Russia and China’s friendship is a classic case of rekindling romance with the ex’s. Together both once were part of the “socialist” bloc which broke up in 1961. However mending is on and both are talking arms. That is worrying New Delhi a bit which thinks that Moscow may prefer its new beau China more and cut back on its arms co-operation but that is yet to happen.
Read: Urgent, coordinated actions needed to curb air pollution in South Asia: World Bank
New math, old foes
India friendly experts are cautious about the future of Russia’s new friendship with Pakistan arguing that it’s not a reconfiguration with either Pakistan or India. And the energy equation between Moscow and Islamabad is positive but not necessarily possible to carry on for long. In other words, Pakistan’s pocket is torn and it can’t pay Moscow for long whose own pockets are in need of a touch of repair.
But the biggest worry in Pakistan could be that too much snuggling with Russia will anger the US and the US controls the IMF and the WB. And Pakistan needs them desperately. So it must abide by the price cap agreed upon by Western countries or face U.S. sanctions. That is apart from standard political handshaking.
US Russia and South Asia
The US is telling that Russia is no longer a reliable supplier due to cash shortage but India is an old hand at the game. India is in a “thick and thin” mode with Russia even now while increasing its defense cooperation with the US. India wants to be certain that the US is a better partner than Russia in the strategic marriage if that happens. It won’t behave like a moonstruck teenager and jump in as it also involves matters of payments and prices.
No country in South Asia is going to sign up for an exclusive relationship contract with any supplier cum super power. And it’s not just India and Pakistan. Bangladesh has blocked dozens of U.S.-sanctioned ships from arriving at its ports but continues to deal with Russia in Chinese currency.
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The pattern is clear. There will only be relationships of convenience and not just from the US side or Russian and the Chinese but the global south cuties as well. No exclusive clause will apply and that makes the old fashioned zones of influence model that much weaker. The global south has quietly on its own gone global while remaining in the South.
Serajul Alam Khan dies: Enigmatic personality, influential politician
Enigmatic person and politician, who influenced the passage of Bangladesh, Serajul Alam Khan , -dada to most- passed away aged 82 years. It was a long life but in the last few years of his life he had been ailing and politically less active.
Read: Dr. Zafrullah the warrior stops, his battles will go on
Books had been written about him particularly by Shamsuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed and both were best sellers. It showed that despite his absence from active political life he continued to be alive in the public mind. It was not only what he had done that people remembered but what they didn’t fully know about him . No doubt that the reasons behind calling him the “mystery man” of Bangladesh politics were justified.
The politics of the radicalized middle class
The person and the political cluster he was most influential grew after 1958 when politics of the middle class began to grow more radical vis a vis its relationship with central Pakistan. The period from 1947 to 1958 made it obvious that the artificial state of Pakistan could not survive. The organic limitations of the Pakistan state was clear to all and the imposition of the 1958 martial law by Ayub Khan made it even more clear.
Read: Don’t stop , Mubasshar Bhai
From then on , many groups and clusters began to initiate activities to make “East Pakistan” independent. “East Bengal Liberation Party” is well known and others were active too. The “Inner Group” which was active from before August 1947 continued their activities too. It was through this group’s assistance that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman went to India but was disappointed by India’s attitude and subsequently focused on public agitation as a facilitator of national politics.
It was in this turbulent 60s that Serajul Alam Khan set up the “Nucleus”, a secret cell within the leading party Awami League's student and youth wing to promote an independent state. He drew many young souls to it and became a cult figure of sorts. Many called him “kapalik”, the name heightening his mystery and stature. There is no doubt that he enjoyed prestige and respect within all the layers of the party and leadership. He became the thought-leader of the Leftists within the centrist Awami League’s younger edition.
Read: The Triumphant Return of the Greatest Bengali
While his followers have attributed credit of many actions by the national leadership to him during the March 1971 days and they have been contested as well, suffice to say that, he was a major factor that deserves to be taken into cognizance in constructing the history of that period.
The 1971 period and after
During 1971, he had his differences with the political leadership of Muibnagar as various statements show. This led him and Sheikh. Moni who was the Jubo League leader to work together and become leaders of the Bangladesh Liberation Forces (BLF) . This armed group of young activists known as the “Mujib Bahini” was not under the direct control of the Mujibnagar government. It was led by Indian army officer Gen. Uban and the episode is described in the book, “ The Phantoms of Chittagong”. While conflict existed within the Bangladeshis forces in exile, the common enemy of all forces was Pakistan including the BLF.
Read: Hero Alam's crusade goes on
Post 1971 and later
After independence, the loyalists of Serjaul Alam Khan formed the Jatio Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) led by ASM Rab and ex sector commander Maj. Jalil, who had been arrested for protesting the actions of the Indian army after 1971. Their slogan was “Scientific Socialism” and very soon it became the major political opposition party in Bangladesh.
However in 1974, its programme became confrontational which led to a crackdown by the AL government and incarceration for many leaders. Soon after, Gono Bahini was formed by the radicals in the party to promote armed activism. There were conflicts with state law enforcement members as a result of this.
Subsequently, the party and activists particularly those in league with Col. Taher were arrested for their involvement with the Nov 7 coup of 1975. SAK was tried and sentenced to jail by the military court.
Read: 1971 : Two memories of miracles
Although he was active with the JSD later, the party broke into factions and became less impactful than before. His political life was also less active. But his role and influence on Bangladesh politics particularly the 1960s and 70s decade including the independence movement are beyond question. May he Rest In Peace.
Radwan Mujib: From Bangladesh’s darkest hour to reinstating its glorious history
Puzzled by this question posed by his classmates in his school, Radwan Mujib had a hard time pitting it against the version narrated by his mother, who dubbed her father “a superhero.” Indeed, Bangabandhu fell nothing short of a superhero who led a nation to freedom in 1971 and whose voice is now registered as a memory of the world. Everything changed at the dawn of August 15, 1975 when a group of disgruntled army officers gunned down Bangabandhu and most of his family members at his Dhanmondi residence.
The assassination of Bangabandhu shoved the country into its darkest chapter that prevailed for a decade and half. With the takeover by military dictators came the strangest rule that Bangabandhu’s killers would be endowed with indemnity. In the 1980s, even uttering Bangabandhu’s name amounted to a crime. Radwan Mujib, Bangabandhu’s grandson, then a school student, had no idea of the political chaos that gripped the country and the struggle for democracy that was gaining momentum. The military regime left no stone unturned to wipe out the spirit of the Liberation War and the ideology of the Father of the Nation once and for all. Radwan was still in the dark about why a legend – as regarded by his mother – was not even heard of by his classmates. Growing up on a steady diet of graphic novels, he visualized a comic in which Bangabandhu would be portrayed as a superhero.
However, as Radwan celebrated his 43rd birthday, the country is now marked with a diametrically opposite scenario. Democracy has returned and so did the progressive ideology. Radwan has brought forth a series of creative projects to present history in the form of stories so that youths get engaged in the spirit of the Liberation War, for which three million martyrs shed their blood.
Radwan Mujib’s successful initiative demonstrates that words and pictures can revive the history that bullets and bombs try to bury forever. He undertook a number of projects, adding flesh and blood to history, to connect with youths.
Read more: Carrying Bangabandhu’s legacy
His brainchildren include Joy Bangla Concert (a concert themed on the wartime slogan “Joy Bangla”), Joy Bangla Youth Award (a countrywide initiative to award young changemakers), and “Mujib Graphic Novel” (a comic-style sketch of young Mujib, who would go on to become the Father of the Nation).
His idea of presenting history creatively through anecdotes and vignettes instead of mere dates and names can be traced back to his traumatic experience during his school life when military rulers made his grandfather Bangabandhu a forbidden name.
Growing up at a time following the 1975 assassination of Bangabandhu, the man who liberated this country, Radwan could not come to terms with the fact that the killers of a nation’s founding father were enjoying indemnity while his superhero grandfather was nowhere to be mentioned.
That devastating encounter at an early age shaped his life's mission, encouraging him to drawing youths closer to real history, the glory that makes this nation stand out.
The CRI trustee and London School of Economics graduate received birthday wishes and appreciation on May 21 from all quarters, especially youths who were recognized, groomed, and networked by his projects.
Radwan, who inherited his knack for knowledge from his mother Sheikh Rehana, co-produced “Hasina: A Daughter's Tale,” a docufiction poignantly narrating the real-life struggles of Sheikh Hasina after the murder of her father in a coup on August 15, 1975.
The editor-in-chief of WhiteBoard, the country’s first policy-based magazine, regularly interacts with youths through the projects he had set in motion. His sister Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, reputed for her fiery speech and biting wit, is a member of parliament in the UK. Another granddaughter of Bangabandhu, Saima Wazed, is a member of World Health Organization’s 25-member Expert Advisory Panel on mental health. Bangabandhu’s grandson Sajeeb Wazed is the ICT Advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Despite the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family members, his spirit and ideology reclaimed their foothold through the impossible comeback by his daughter Sheikh Hasina and the unstoppable efforts by his grandsons and granddaughters.
Tonmoy Ahmed is an engineer and coordinator of ALBD Web Team.