Articles | Lowy Institute

31 Oct 2024
Bangladesh

India

Indonesia

Japan

Malaysia

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Thailand
Asia’s year of electoral upsets

Greg Earl

The poor result for the region’s most successful electoral machine in Japan on Sunday has only underlined a surprisingly bad year for incumbents across Asia.
6 Sep 2024
Bangladesh

Human rights
The rights-based priority in relations with Bangladesh

Mubashar Hasan

Sheikh Hasina’s downfall holds a lesson for the international community to ensure support for political freedoms.
26 Aug 2024
Bangladesh

India

Trade
The benefits of connection: India’s linkages to Bangladesh withstand local unrest

Riya Sinha

Roads and rail are the sinews of a strong relationship. But New Delhi cannot afford to be complacent about its regional ties.
16 Aug 2024
Bangladesh

Human rights
Bangladesh: Finding justice and reconciliation

Roshni Kapur

International experience holds lessons for the interim government to deliver on the change demanded.
12 Aug 2024
Bangladesh
The binary trap after Bangladesh’s unrest

Yanitha Meena Louis

A careful balancing act for a country that stands as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia has been upended.
8 Aug 2024
Bangladesh
Bangladesh: The economist turned saviour

Aarti Betigeri

Mohammad Yunus paid a hard price for his success after falling out with power. He now faces the most extraordinary test.
6 Aug 2024
Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s new military-led government has a tough job ahead

David Brewster

The Army has little appetite to stay in power. But it will be a messy and drawn-out job to restore civilian rule.
25 Jul 2024
Asean

Bangladesh

India

Myanmar

Asylum seekers and refugees
Could BIMSTEC be the answer to the Myanmar question?

Arkoprabho Hazra

With a new charter and fresh ambition, a little-known regional organisation has as big summit coming up in September.
14 May 2024
Bangladesh

India

Maldives
“India Out”: What this campaign means for South Asian neighbours

Tessa Walker

Actors are finding benefits by picking and choosing sides.
2 Apr 2024
Bangladesh

Myanmar

Asylum seekers and refugees
Myanmar: The junta’s forced conscription of Rohingyas

Md. Himel Rahman

The implications of this cynical act for people already oppressed could reverberate for neighbouring Bangladesh and across the region.
13 Mar 2024
Bangladesh

Myanmar

Asylum seekers and refugees

Human rights

Migration
A ring-fence around the Rohingya can’t last – Australia’s policy needs to change

Arunn Jegan

Seven years on, a temporary aid agenda is only extenuating the problem.
12 Mar 2024
Bangladesh

India

Maldives

Pakistan
Democracy is struggling in South Asia

Saira Bano

Good governance is essential to managing regional challenges.
25 Jan 2024
Bangladesh
The squeeze on Bangladesh’s garment industry

Harris Amjad

Garment exports drive Bangladesh's economy but its compounding political problems might derail growth.
22 Dec 2023
Bangladesh
Bangladesh: An election like no other

Jyoti Rahman

Rather than settling a contest, the upcoming poll could make matters worse.
21 Dec 2023
Bangladesh

Australia

Migration
Australia must work with Bangladesh to stop the Rohingya boats

David Brewster

Extra aid is welcome. The next task is to build Bangladesh’s capabilities.
13 Dec 2023
Aid & Development

Bangladesh

Myanmar

Asylum seekers and refugees
Crunch time on Rohingya refugees

David Brewster

By bolstering assistance to Bangladesh, Australia can avoid a new source of maritime arrivals.
5 Dec 2023
Bangladesh

India

Pakistan

Australia

United States
“Egregious stupidity”: The story of when Australia split with Kissinger over South Asia

Ric Smith

On Kissinger’s final report card, his handling of India, Pakistan and the emergence of Bangladesh scores badly.
8 Nov 2023
Bangladesh

Myanmar

Australia and Asia

Human rights
Australia’s chance to show global leadership on Rohingya displacement

Jessica Marsh

Honouring a pledge to be tough on borders without being “weak on humanity” will bolster Canberra’s aim of regional stability.
25 Sep 2023
Bangladesh

Australia

Diplomacy
Australia’s support for Bangladesh will bolster regional stability

David Brewster

It's not clear what Washington hopes to achieve in isolating Dhaka, but Canberra must take a different tack.
5 Sep 2023
Bangladesh

G20
Who’s on the guest list? India brings Bangladesh to the G20

Sadia Aktar Korobi

Bangladesh is taking its place as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia.
22 Aug 2023
Bangladesh

Myanmar

Migration

United Nations
Remember the Rohingya, for disease hasn’t forgotten them

Arunn Jegan

After six years, supposedly temporary camps now resemble slums. How long can the world turn away?
4 Aug 2023
Bangladesh

India

Maldives

Pakistan

Australia and Asia
What four upcoming elections in South Asia mean for Australia

David Brewster

With significant strategic equities at play, Canberra will need more regional engagement than ever before.
9 Jun 2023
Bangladesh

United States
The US steps up pressure on Bangladesh ahead of elections

Md Salman Rahman

Concerns about fostering democracy must also be considered alongside growing US strategic interests in the country.
26 Jan 2023
Bangladesh

United States
Sanctions help bring accountability in Bangladesh

Mubashar Hasan

Extrajudicial killings and disappearances have dropped dramatically, with the government aware the world is watching.
8 Nov 2022
Bangladesh

China

India

Myanmar
How China, India and Bangladesh could be drawn into Myanmar’s conflict

David Brewster

Rakhine state has become a de facto battleground for the competing interests of Beijing, Delhi and Dhaka.
20 Sep 2022
Bangladesh

Myanmar

Human rights

International law
The Rohingya issue requires a regional solution

David Brewster

Leaving close to a million people in limbo poses a danger not only for the refugees but to regional peace.
2 Mar 2022
Australia

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

Maldives
Australia begins to step it up in the northeast Indian Ocean

David Brewster

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives are keen in engage and will help plug a gap in Australia’s Indo Pacific strategy.
10 Jan 2022
India's Navy

Myanmar

India

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

Maldives

Seychelles
Indian Ocean step-up

David Brewster

India is in the driver’s seat to build new security structures in the region, but it can’t do it alone.
18 Nov 2021
Bangladesh
Minorities under attack in Bangladesh

Mubashar Hasan

Recent violence sparked by false allegations online against Hindus is a symptom of deeper community problems.
13 Aug 2021
Pakistan

Bangladesh
Mango diplomacy is more than low-hanging fruit in South Asian politics

Mubashar Hasan , Zahid Shahab Ahmed

Bangladesh has used a national icon to signal a fresh appetite for improved ties with Pakistan – just as China looms.
10 Jun 2021
Bangladesh
A rising Bangladesh starts to exert its regional power

David Brewster

Dhaka is increasingly confident in an emerging role. The rest of the world would benefit to pay close attention.
31 Mar 2021
Bangladesh
Understanding Bangladesh’s most potent religious opposition

Mubashar Hasan

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has deep roots in the country. A careful approach is needed in response.
11 Dec 2020
Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Sculptures, statues and hard-liners

Syed Badrul Ahsan

Outcry over how to commemorate the nation’s first president pits Islamists against secularists – again.
9 Oct 2020
Bangladesh

China

India
Bangladesh’s balancing act between great powers

Mubashar Hasan , Arild Engelsen Ruud

For all the talk of a China-India contest, Bangladesh offers very little from a strategic point of view.
1 Oct 2020
Bangladesh

Coronavirus
In Bangladesh, Covid adds to a list of maladies

Syed Badrul Ahsan

A stalling economy, climate challenges, a refugee crisis, and now a spat with Saudi Arabia make for troubling times.
16 Sep 2020
Bangladesh

Human rights
Bangladesh: Fight the power or shut up?

Mubashar Hasan

In a climate of fear and repression, Bangladeshi hip-hop artists are caught between self-expression and survival.
14 Sep 2020
Bangladesh

India

Maldives

Sri Lanka

Australia

France

Climate change
Tackling environmental security threats in the Indian Ocean

David Brewster

A “Quad-Plus” could bring together regional expertise and resources to address issues of collective interest.
20 May 2020
Asia

Bangladesh

Coronavirus
Covid-19: The need to aid Asia to open up

Peter McCawley , Haider A. Khan

For Western donors, this has not been their finest hour, yet collective action offers a chance to revive past success.
10 Apr 2020
India

Pakistan

Bangladesh

Coronavirus
Why South Asia may come out of Covid-19 crisis better than many expect

David Brewster

A younger demographic and less social reliance on the state could see local nations seeking advantage amid the changes.
27 Sep 2019
Myanmar

Bangladesh
Stalemate leaves Rohingya refugees trapped

Ashraful Azad

Nearly all want to go home, but Myanmar won’t grant the protections they need, and Bangladesh is out of goodwill.
4 Sep 2019
Australia

Bangladesh
In Dhaka, Payne will look to renew engagement with Bangladesh

Syed Badrul Ahsan

The Australian Foreign Minister has a lengthy agenda to cover, from refugees to trade to terrorism.
8 Aug 2019
Bangladesh
Down and out in Dhaka

Syed Badrul Ahsan

An epidemic, a rights activist, an exiled judge, and lynch mobs have Bangladesh in an uproar.
19 Jun 2019
Australia

Bangladesh
Australia should pursue opportunities in a booming Bangladesh

David Brewster

It’s wise to recall East Asia was unsettled and dangerous only a few decades ago, yet now drives Australia’s prosperity.
30 May 2019
China

Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s road to the BRI

David Brewster

Experience in Bangladesh shows how countries can mould engagement with China in ways that mitigate strategic concerns.
14 May 2019
Defence & Security

Myanmar

Bangladesh
The Rohingyas: the security dimension of a deep humanitarian crisis

David Brewster

A permanently dispossessed people has the potential to impact regional security in ways we have not yet imagined.
18 Oct 2018
India

Pakistan

Bangladesh
South Asia diplomacy hostage to a bitter legacy

Syed Badrul Ahsan

Pakistan, India, Bangladesh – the neighbourhood just can’t seem to get along.
2 Oct 2018
Bangladesh
Bangladesh: the latest assault on free speech

Shafquat Rabbee

It’s not too late to stop a new law that would give extraordinary and sweeping powers of repression to authorities.
5 Sep 2018
Myanmar

Bangladesh
The Rohingya are stuck

Nicholas Farrelly

Like the rest of us, the Rohingya need to have hope in a reasonable future for their children.
3 Sep 2018
India

Bangladesh
Beleaguered Bangladesh and big neighbour trouble

Syed Badrul Ahsan

A register to record citizens in India’s Assam raises fears four million Bengali-speaking residents could be forced out.
13 Jun 2018
Bangladesh
“Gunfights” in Bangladesh

Syed Badrul Ahsan

Outrage over extrajudicial killings is dominating conversation ahead of general elections later this year.