POBNEWS24, Dhaka Nov 5,2024 : Five days before the election, Republican candidate Donald Trump expressed deep concern about minority persecution in Bangladesh. Many Bangladeshi government representatives and analysts have cited this as a ploy to win Hindu American votes. According to analysts, the social media “X” Trump’s message also revealed the importance of South Asia, especially India as a regional power. “Under my administration, we will strengthen our great partnership with India and my good friend Prime Minister Modi,” Trump wrote.
He again accused the minority torture and commented that the situation in Bangladesh is ‘extreme chaos’. Trump said this would not have happened if he had been president.
Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute of the Wilson Center, a leading US policy think tank, asked what the impact would be on Bangladesh-US relations, especially at the government level, if Trump becomes the US president. In response, Kugelman told Kal Kantha, ‘First of all, Trump’s comments on Bangladesh should be seen in the electoral political context.
He made these comments while seeking votes from the voters of important constituencies a few days before the polls. However, if Trump wins the election, we should also see it as an indication of what kind of challenges Bangladesh-US relations may face.’
Kugelman said, ‘Trump’s comments will not be taken well by the interim government of Bangladesh. The interim government is headed by a man who has been critical of Trump in the past.
Therefore, if Trump returns to the White House as president, it is a wake-up call to understand what kind of challenges may arise for the interim government of Bangladesh and what should be done to meet those challenges.’
If Kamala Harris, the current vice president of the United States and the Democratic candidate for the presidential election, wins, the current US policy regarding Bangladesh will continue – Kugelman also had a question. In response, he said, ‘I think, if Kamala Harris becomes the president of the United States, the current US policy regarding Bangladesh will continue to a large extent. However, I don’t think that Kamla Harris had a major role in formulating the Bangladesh policy of the United States as Vice President. However, his foreign policy may follow the pattern of the foreign policy of the Biden administration.
Rudabeh Shaheed, a non-resident senior fellow at the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council, a leading US policy research institute, told Kal Kantha that many people were surprised by Donald Trump’s ‘X’ message about Bangladesh. However, how the issue has come can be seen by observing the demands of various ethnic groups towards the US administration. Just this week, a Carnegie Endowment poll found that the percentage of Indian Americans who identify as Democrats has dropped to 47 percent. In 2020, this rate was 56 percent.
Rudabeh Shaheed said, despite her links with India, the community’s support for Kamala Harris is only 60 percent. But four years ago, nearly 70 percent of Indian Americans voted for Biden. Meanwhile, support for Trump rose from 22 percent to 31 percent.
Rudabeh Shaheed also said that polarization and communal politics during Narendra Modi’s government in India has also affected the South Asian community in the US. Advocates of Hinduism do not care much about the plight of minorities in India in the United States. However, they highlighted the plight of minorities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. And that is why Trump is likely to consolidate his vote bank among Indian Americans living in ‘swing states’ and members of America’s wealthiest ethnic groups. This is less a direct message to the Yunus government in Bangladesh than it is to Hindu Indian-Americans.
Regarding the possible impact of the US election results on relations with Bangladesh, Rudabeh Shahid said, some observers of South Asia in the United States say that the US policy on South Asia, regardless of whether the Democrats or Republicans are in power, remains roughly the same, but the strategy to deal with China may differ.
Rudabeh Shahid said that the Trump administration can give India more opportunities to deal with what is happening in India’s neighboring countries and in the larger Indo-Pacific region. On the other hand, while in power, Democrats give more importance to human rights and climate issues. Bangladesh is important in this regard. In addition, we know that Yunus has good relations with the influential people of the Democratic Party. However, some other authorities, including the Department of Defense, play a role in the formulation of US foreign policy. It probably doesn’t matter who is in charge of the White House.
The non-resident senior fellow of the South Asia Center said, ‘Awami League supporters in the United States may be hopeful if Trump wins. However, the way Trump said in his ‘X’ message about giving importance to India regarding the Indian subcontinent, it will be seen whether he actually gives it or not when he comes to power.
Diplomatic sources say that the Biden administration in the United States has been active and engaged in democracy and human rights issues in Bangladesh since the beginning. US State Department officials have made it clear that the Biden administration does not see relations with Bangladesh from India’s perspective. The last few years of Sheikh Hasina’s government had strained relations with the United States. The precedent of not being invited to the Democracy Conference, the ban on RAB and the introduction of a visa ban system has been created. After the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, the United States has been supporting the interim government in Bangladesh. Earlier, the global policies taken during the Trump administration have also affected Bangladesh.
