Chaos in Bangladesh

Bangladesh was rocked by widespread protests throughout August, eventually resulting in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country and an interim government quickly being established. The unrest resulted in part from the government’s quota hiring system introduced in 1972. This system reserves 30% of highly sought-after government jobs for the descendants of "freedom fighters" who fought for Bangladesh's independence, while additional percentages are set aside for other select groups. In total, 56% of all positions have traditionally been reserved for various groups, including ethnic minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and people from underrepresented districts. 

The protests have been led by groups of students across the nation, who claim the quotas are restricting their employment opportunities for new graduates. Hasina had abolished the system after mass protests in 2018, but last month a top Bangladeshi court reinstated it, igniting the current unrest. At least 300 people were killed during the recent clash between students and Hasina’s forces, making it the most violent event since the country’s war of independence in 1971.

Bangladesh’s recent student-led overthrow of the Hasina government has been nearly universally portrayed as positive in the Western media, dubbed the “Gen Z revolution”. But the question remains: who was really behind the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina, and who stands to gain from her resignation and flight to India?

Democratic Revolution or Another Western-Backed Coup?

The West has portrayed recent events in Bangladesh are the result of student unions and outspoken activists taking to the streets and ultimately triumphing over a repressive government. Not discussed is why protesters to were so successful and who supported their movement.

The night before Hasina fled Bangladesh, her army chief met with his generals and decided that troops would not enforce the curfew she had imposed in an attempt to suppress the unrest. Brahma Chellaney, a columnist for The Hill called this, “a quiet military coup behind a civilian facade.” Chellaney highlights the fact that while the interim government has members of the student unions, the new government is heavily influenced by the military.

Chellaney noted that “Bangladesh has no regional adversary, yet it has maintained a relatively large military with more than 200,000 personnel. When not ruling directly, it has sought to wield political power through pliant civilian-led governments. Even behind the military rule, the new government is being led by the “chief adviser” Muhammad Yunus.

Yunus is a major Bangladeshi entrepreneur who won the Nobel Prize in 2006 for introducing a “microcredit” system to impoverished farmers. Yunus has long maintained a close relationship with the Clinton family, becoming a regular donor of hundreds of thousands of dollars to their foundation.

In January, the Bangladeshi business tycoon was sentenced to six months in jail as a result of his IT business, Grameen, violating business laws. In the verdict, Sheikh Merina Sultana, head of the Third Labor Court of Dhaka, stated that at least 67 Grameen Telecom workers should have been made permanent employees but were not, a "welfare fund" intended to support staff in emergencies or special needs was never established, and 5% of Grameen's dividends were supposed to be distributed to the staff but that also never happened.

Once Hasina was overthrown, Yunus’ charges were dropped and he was nominated to lead the interim government by current Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

On December 15, 2023, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated at a press briefing that if Sheikh Hasina were to win the next election, the United States would use all its power to overthrow her government. The power Zakharova referenced often takes the form of Western-backed non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

On the surface, NGOs take the shape of seemingly-harmless groups such as The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), one of the better-known organizations that infiltrates other nations and funds opposition groups which exert pressure on governments to change policies or be forced out of power, as Hasina was. In 2021, the NED donated a $900,000 grant to such groups operating within Bangladesh, entitled “Bolstering Inclusive Democratic Engagement and Networking.”

The donated money aimed to “work with representatives of the student wings of both major political parties to bolster their understanding of inclusive and non-violent means of political participation, and with non-partisan student leaders on university campuses to improve their leadership skills.”

Since 2021, Western NGOs have openly trained the massive student population for years. The money is well-spent, with students wittingly or not doing the dirty work for Western imperialism.

Caught Between BRICS and the West

If a Clinton-backed billionaire with the backing of the powerful government and western back NGOs were not suspicious enough, Hasina had been vocal about her ousting by the U.S. On August 12, when asked about reports of the United States being involved in the Bangladesh protests, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said, "We have had no involvement at all. Any reports or rumors that the United States government was involved in these events is simply false.”

This response came following reports from several Indian media outlets that Hasina had planned a resignation speech including the comment, “I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal. I beseech to the people of my land, please do not be manipulated by radicals.” 

Sohini Bose and Vivek Mishra of Observer Research Foundation in February 2022 spelled out the strategic significance of St. Martin’s Island, primarily due to its closeness to the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes. The United States has long sought to establish a military stronghold directly on China’s maritime route of its Belt and Road Initiative. As the United States’ hegemonic control slips away with the emergence of the multipolar world, it will only increase its meddling the internal affairs of other nations so as to create further roadblocks on the new Silk Road. 

The Philippines' captured government has increasingly served as a pawn for the United States, such that the Filipino Navy counters China’s influence in its own South China Sea. The United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan and West Asia is part of a pivot to ramp up tensions and cause violence on Chinese borders.

Meanwhile, instead of sending in troops to counter the Taliban, China chose diplomacy to secure peace on their Western border with Afghanistan. Shanghai-based Middle East expert Hongda Fan told ABC that, “China is naturally worried that this will have a negative impact on Xinjiang's security and stability [which borders Afghanistan] and it will also be detrimental to the development of China's Belt and Road Initiative."

As of the end of 2023, 151 countries have signed on to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a prospect of peace and prosperity that terrifies US imperialism.

It should come as no surprise if the new coup government in Bangladesh suddenly decides to also cut itself off from friendly relations with China, and for other countries to come under increasing pressure from the United States to do the same.