[Attachment(s) from Ripan Biswas included below]
Dear Editor, Hope you are doing well and thanks for publishing my previous write ups. This is an article titled "Obama's potential visit to Bangladesh". I will be highly honoured if you publish this article. I apprecite your time to read this article. Thanks Have a nice time With Best Regards Ripan Kumar Biswas New York, U.S.A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obama's potential visit to Bangladesh Ripan kumar Biswas Ripan.Biswas@yahoo.com Presence of President Obama's highest-ranking official Judith A McHale, US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in Dhaka on February 6-8 following Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Patrick S. Moon's visit in last January, shows his acute interests in Bangladesh. And it is heartening to learn through a recent press report that he may visit Bangladesh sometime towards the end of this year or early next year while he will be on a trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. So far no dates have been nailed down yet, but US Defense Secretary Robert Gates's recent visit to New Delhi, Islamabad, and Kabul in last January, boost the potential visit of President Obama to South Asia during the two years of his presidency. Twenty two years after President Carter's visit, President Bill Clinton visited India in March 2000, in the last year of his second term. His successor President George W Bush made it to New Delhi in 2006, more than two years into his second term. While President George W Bush cancelled a planned visit to Bangladesh, Bill Clinton had visited the nation on a one-day trip in March 2000 during Sheikh Hasina's last rule. While appreciating Bangladesh for its immense contributions to the UN Peace Keeping Operations (UNPKOs) saying the country has enhanced and glorified its image and prestige along with the United Nations by contributing its troops to the UNPKOs aiming at restoration of peace in different conflict-ridden countries, Obama accepted an invitation by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit Bangladesh at a working dinner in New York on September 23, 2009. If the US President's expected visit to Bangladesh will take place into reality, Bangladesh would be more benefitted from Obama's policies and initiatives. Democratic elections in 1991 ended two decades of authoritarian rule in Dhaka. But political violence has become part of the political landscape in Bangladesh. While economic progress has been made, it has always been impaired by rivalry between the two largest political parties. At the political juncture in Bangladesh during the last caretaker government, millions of people in the country had been inspired by President Obama while he won the election on November 4, 2008. Everyone got goose bumps all over again listening to his speech. "Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed." As people of Bangladesh had repeated experience of corruption in politics or volatile political practices, they were delighted while he said, "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history." Again people had been inspired by his first State of the Union Address on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 while he said that the Americans who lend hands to their neighbors and give back to their country, aren't Republican or Democrat, they are Americans. While concentrated wealth, fear of terrorism, theocracy, corruption in government and politics, arrogant and ignorant executives, and violation of civil liberties and human rights always put the country in many difficulties, Obama's political agendas are well respected in Bangladesh where political sovereignty is retained by the people. On the other hand, the United States has long-standing close relations with Bangladesh and has viewed Bangladesh as a moderate voice in the Islamic world. Major U.S. interests in Bangladesh include political stability and democratization; continuation of economic reform and market-opening policies; social and economic development; environmental issues; counterterrorism; and improvement of the human rights situation. Bangladesh's status as a secular and moderate state, as well as its democratic process, has been jeopardized repeatedly as a result of the approach taken by the two main political parties. Formerly known as East Pakistan, and before that as the East Bengal region of British India, Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan following Liberation war in December 1971.Though Bangladesh is strategically important for South Asia, but US interest in Bangladesh is not strategic. Bangladesh since its inception has forged a relationship of friendship and cooperation with China. It is Washington's interest not to allow Bangladesh so close to the Indian Ocean, where US has vital strategic interests, to be totally under either the Soviet sphere of influence of that of China. In recent development, it has been a tumultuous for US-China relations, as disputes over arms sells to Taiwan, the future visit of the Dali Lama to the US, and trade and currency accusations between the two nations are led to tense talk between the two nations. Washington wants a stable Bangladesh and any power vacuum in Bangladesh created by political and economic chaos resulting in upsetting the status quo is not in its interest. Islam has served as a legitimizing political force in Bangladesh. The roughly even split in support for the Awami League (the present ruling party) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has given small Islamist parties, some of which have ties to violent Islamist radicals throughout the world, a disproportionate voice in Bangladesh's government and politics in recent years. Islamists support the imposition of Sharia law in Bangladesh. Accepting Credentials of newly appointed Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Akramul Qader on November 4, 2009, President Obama referred his Cairo speech and reiterated his desire to see a Muslim majority Bangladesh where economy is "robust", educational opportunities are in "abundance", international investments are in "plenty", and human rights are not compromised with "anything." A Washington deep concern lies not to see Bangladesh with increased influence by Islamist extremists. Bangladesh is a recipient of significant international aid. It has received more than $30 billion from foreign donors since its independence in 1971. The State Department has requested a total of $88,790,000 in assistance for Bangladesh in the FY2008 budget request. U.S. is Bangladesh's No.1 customer and is the most important trading partner. The total bilateral trade in 2007 between Bangladesh and the United States was $ 4.3 billion of which 3.6 billion was exports from Bangladesh to the US and 0.6 billion was imports from the USA. US also happens to be the 2nd largest source of remittance to Bangladesh---total remittance inflow was 1.4 billion dollars in 2007/08. But Bangladesh is not a TIFA (Trade and Investment Agreement Framework) partner of US by which two nations can discuss economic issues of mutual interest. Still Bangladesh is fighting with duty free access to the U.S. for ready-made garments as the average duty rate on Bangladeshi exports to the USA is more than 15%, compared with the average duty rate of 0.3% for the exports from the EU 27 countries. Another important issues among President Obama's trade policies; "that is workers' rights" can be followed in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is seriously vulnerable to the effects of global climate change. While President Obama personally assured Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that the U.S. government would stand beside Bangladesh in its battle against the crucial climate change during the last Copenhagen climate change summit, the Obama administration has approved in principle the Hasina government's initiative for a South Asian forum against terrorism and Dhaka's bid to hold trial of "war criminals" who killed unarmed civilians during its freedom movement in 1971. According to the New York Times, whether in Bangladesh or Queens in New York, Yunus is widely recognized wherever he goes. While according to Forbes magazine, DR, Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate for peace in 2006 and the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom of US, stands no. 6 among the 10 Most Influential Business Gurus in the world in 2009, Bangladesh government still couldn't able to make him an "Ambassador of goodwill" for the greater benefit of the country. President Obama is personally monitoring how relations stand between the Prof. Muhammed Yunus and the government of Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh pursues a moderate foreign policy that places heavy reliance on multinational diplomacy. The United States and Bangladesh have been friends for more than half a century. Government of Bangladesh should expedite diplomatic move involving Dr. Muhammed Yunus to make into reality of the potential tour of President Barack H. Obama to Bangladesh. Saturday, February 6, 2010, New York Ripan Kumar Biswas is a freelance writer based in New York |
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