Photo : TDM
This proverb is towering enough to limn Uncle Sam, “An angel’s face with a devil’s mind.” Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina on 28 March, 2022 slammed the U.S. sanctions on officials of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) over alleged rights abuse, saying the move was "very condemnable act.”
She said the elite force has immensely contributed to the country's efforts in containing militancy and terrorism. Hasina said Bangladesh takes legal action against any law enforcement agency members including those from RAB if they are found involved in any criminal act.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said earlier that the allegations of gross rights violations by the anti-crime elite police unit were not "based on facts" and RAB was a disciplined institution that instead "has been securing human rights for the people of Bangladesh."
It is very outrageous on December 10, 2021, the Biden administration-imposed sanctions on Bangladesh’s elite paramilitary force - the RAB and seven of its current and former officials accusing of human rights abuses and abductions. The U.S. and Bangladesh have been in good relationship after the birth of Bangladesh, but this sudden human-rights related sanctioning has raised concerns in the South Asian Nation, especially as it has been imposed “unilaterally” without any “prior information.”
This is not the end. Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign country. We defeated the obnoxious nexus of Uncle Sam and Pakistan in 1971. Uncle San cannot forget this colossus defeat. They are so aggressive that they announced so-called a new visa policy on 24 May, 2023 that will allow its government to restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladesh’s individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process…
Sanctions, an instrument of foreign policy, can be used to create pressure on a state or non-state actor to influence those decisions and actions that are being perceived as threatening to security or violating international behavioural norms. The US government normally slaps sanctions, using it as a carrot and stick policy, on those countries that US views as enemies, e.g., those that threaten its national interest, or simply to coerce the target country to do something for their self-interests. As Bangladesh is not a threat to US interests, the recent US like a rogue state’s sanction on Bangladesh surprised political analysts across the world.
Generally, when the US imposes sanctions, the opponent states react in way that worsen the situation further. As a friendly country, how Bangladesh responded to the US sanction deserves analysis since it will help to understand how a US ally reacts to such sanctions, compared to the reaction of US enemies.
Initially, Bangladesh followed the diplomatic way to communicate with the US government and explain its stance against the allegations. Diplomatic efforts, on the part of Bangladesh, were mainly focused on convincing the US government by conveying the message that Bangladesh has been misrepresented by vested groups. This is how Bangladesh differentiated itself from other countries on which the US has imposed sanctions. For example, North Korea, which has tended to fire fresh missiles in response to US sanctions. Instead of accepting the criticism, rogue states react negatively. But Bangladesh showed a positive attitude, and welcomed constructive suggestions from the US government.
In response to human rights violations, the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh established a human rights cell under the United Nations (UN) to look into human rights issues and abuses requiring attention. In addition, the cell will present facts and figures concerning the human rights situation in Bangladesh before the international community. As it has been established under the UN, it can be expected that the situation will be monitored properly, with accurate data being presented.
According to the Bangladesh government, it has already sent data on the country’ human rights situation and its progress in rescuing those people who allegedly fell victim to enforced disappearances. The law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh have also rescued several people mentioned in the report. It was also argued that the government is working relentlessly to find the whereabouts of the rest of the people.
Gregory W Meeks, the chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and an influential US Congressman, in one of his speeches delivered at fundraising luncheon function in New York, said that there is no plan on the part of the USA to impose further sanctions against the security forces of Bangladesh. Also, Meeks hinted about certain vested groups who are strongly lobbying the Biden Administration to slap further sanctions on Bangladesh’s officers and politicians. Though he clearly mentioned that he supports the Biden administration’s stance on RAB, he also made it clear that wholesale sanction against Bangladesh is currently unwarranted by the US government.
Bangladesh handled the US sanction on RAB professionally, with much emphasis on diplomatic maneuvers. The crisis may be resolved soon, but Bangladesh should decode the hidden motive of Washington behind such sanction. What does the US actually expect from Bangladesh? The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), a strategic security dialogue between the United States, India, Japan and Australia, may be a relevant issue to be considered in this context. Perhaps the US is trying to create pressure on Bangladesh to join its Indo-Pacific military pact to contain China, in which case the Biden administration may slap additional sanctions in the future if Bangladesh fails to meet US expectations.
Bangladesh’s economy is now at the take-off stage, with the potential of graduating from LDC status by 2026, and the country aspires to become a developed economy by 2041. Considering Bangladesh’s economic conditions, the global powers should not involve the country into any geopolitical tug-of-war.
Neither Bangladesh can ignore the US and India nor China considering the current global geopolitical situation. Also, it does not comply with Bangladesh’s balancing foreign policy which emphasizes “friendship toward all, malice toward none.” For now, Bangladesh has to ensure neutrality and strike a fine diplomatic balance among the major global powers for its development discourse. Otherwise, the country is going to face more sanctions which will worsen US-Bangladesh relations and ultimately push Bangladesh toward the strategic orbit of China.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen summoned the US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas "to convey Dhaka's discontent" over the moves.
The top diplomat "regretted that the US decided to undermine an agency of the government that had been on the forefront of combating terrorism, drug trafficking and other heinous transnational crimes that were considered to be shared priorities with successive US administrations," the statement added. Bangladesh's Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that the US sanctions were “based on exaggerated information” and were not “in line with facts.”
One of the sanctioned individuals, RAB deputy chief K.M Azad, defended the special unit's police operations against criminal gangs, saying RAB has never violated human rights. "If bringing down a criminal under the law is a violation of human rights, then we have no objection to violating these human rights in the interest of the country," he explained.
We denounce the U.S. sanctions as meddling into the internal affairs of an independent and sovereign state – Bangladesh - in the most corrosive language. Let people across the world raise their voices in unison to end the unlawful U.S. sanctions on any independent and sovereign state anywhere in the world. Only strong, uncompromising will of us together can do that!!!
The writer is an independent political analyst who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs
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