CHAPTER-VI

CONCLUSION
 Chapter-VI

CONCLUSION

The independence of Bangladesh in 1971 was a unique historical

event as it symbolized a social revolution in the term of rising expectations

among a large segments of the people for better life. These expectations

heightened by relative deprivations enabled the predominantly middle class

and subsequently overwhelming number of people to undergo a struggle for a

bitter and bloody war of independence. Bangladesh's independence, was the

result of its people's aspirations for democracy, self identity, equality, freedom

and progressive society. Ironically, the progress made in the past thirty years

of its independent existence in disregarding these over-optimistic hopes has

proved the ultimate reality of Bangladesh.

However, Bangladesh has shown enough resilience and is trying to

overcome its various problems and hold a high place in the comity of nations.

For its developmental needs, it considers US as a reliable partner and has

cultivated friendship with it over the years in a fruitful manner.

Bangladesh-US relations have evolved over the years in domestic,

regional as well as global contexts.

Bangladesh which was once called a basket case, is today a leading

moderate Muslim democratic country of the world and has gao-strategic and

geo-economic importance for the US. Because of its membership of important

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world bodies including, SAARC, OIC, D-8, BIMSTEC, NAM, G-77 and its

contribution to the UN, the US feels that Bangladesh is capable to contribute

effectively in the peace and stability of the world. It is also not conjecture that

Bangladesh has same agenda as the US, which includes democracy, human

rights, peace keeping, and nuclear issues such as NPT, CTBT etc. These

similarities might have brought the two countries closer, so that both may be

benefited.

The US wants to take advantage of Bangladesh's membership in

various fora to express its concern the issues which are crucial to the US

economic and strategic interests.

Emergence of Bangladesh as potential source for oil and gas has also

not gone unnoticed in the US.

This study is divided into two parts. First part deals with the evolution

of the bilateral relation during the cold war period and the second part focuses

upon development in the post cold war era.

During the cold war period US interests were mainly gao-strategic and

humanitarian, while Bangladesh depended on the US for economic aid and

sporadic gains like recognition of newly created state, membership of UN etc.

In the post cold war period the interests were redefined. For US gao-strategic

interests assumed less significance than gao-economic interests in the

context of globalization, liberalization and democratization.

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 Thesis held the first hypothesis that the US did not support liberation

struggle of Bangladesh. Precisely, there were four reasons that the US

supported West Pakistan during the liberation war.

1. Dismemberment of Pakistan, which would tilt the balance of power in

India's favour, which consequently would not be in favour of the US South

Asia policy.

2. Opposition of alliances like SEATO and CENTO by East Pakistani

leaders, made the US apprehensive of Bangladeshi tilt in case of

Independence.

3. The US fear of Bangladesh showing socialist inclination in case of

independence, as was normally found in that period in democratic developing

countries, and

4. The US did not want to annoy Pakistan, which was facilitating US-China

negotiations.

In siding with Pakistan, the US compromised its long stated position,

where countries of the world and also people of East Pakistan 'looked

towards the US as the world's lea~,ing spokesman's of liberty, freedom and

truth. This, it preferred its strategic interests over the cherished dream of

freedom and liberty.

In fact, at the beginning of demand of independence of Bangladesh,

though the US officially supported demand of autonomy in governance and

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economy for East Pakistan by Mujib, during independence war, not able to

ignore regional and global equations, the US sided with Pakistan.

However, the US maintained its links with Dhaka by providing aid and

assistance to Bangladesh through UN agencies and preferred political

solution of the crisis without causing disintegration.

The second hypothesis of the thesis is that the US's growing close

relations with Bangladesh gave birth to anti Indian and anti Soviet feeling in

Bangladesh. Independence of Bangladesh was a setback for the US's South

Asia policy, while it was considered victory of Indo-Soviet policy factually

speaking, the liberation war created two axes-one was Dhaka-New Delhi-

Moscow and the other was Islamabad-Washington-Beijing axis. It is important

to note that these two axes were not ideology based but political alliances.

As India and USSR, intervened openly and supported the liberation

mqvement in East Pakistan against Pakistan atrocities. Therefore the very ·

circumstances of Bangladesh's emergence dictated that Moscow and New

Delhi were to be the first among its friends .• Against this backdrop, the split of

Pakistan and independence of Bangladesh left

__ ,
Washington somewhat

embarrassed, and the US took a very low keyed approach to its relations with

Bangladesh.

The rapprochement between Bangladesh and the US came soon

because of the acceptance of domestic realities by the Mujib government and

the global and regional by the US. Mujib realized the fact that Bangladesh

needed large sum of aid and assistance to meet demand of domestic socio-

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economic needs and that could not have been met unless and until

Bangladesh got aid and assistance from the US and west, as aid and

assistance provided by India and USSR was not sufficient nor were they in

position to offer more. Meanwhile the US took initiatives to establish lost links

with Bangladesh realizing its gee-strategic situation in South Asian region.

Though Mujib received aid for economic development of Bangladesh,

but nat at the cost of supreme national interest. His policy towards the US

was guided by mutuality of interests on the basis of sovereign equality and

never compromised basic objectives of national movement like secularism,

socialism and nationalism. It reflects that Bangladesh was particularly keen to

develop friendly relationship with the US being consc1ious of the US's

economic strength and immense influence in world as a superpower but not

jeopardizing relationship with the other super power the USSR and a regional

power India.

However, After Mujib regime came to an end, and two consecutive

military regimes (Zia and E;rshad) were installed in Bangladesh, cooperation

and development of relations between the US and Bangladesh grew. This

phase was also marked by steady decline of India's popularity and influence

in Bangladesh. This decline was precipitated by Indian attitude towards its

neighbours. Smaller neigbouring countries complain of India's big brotherly

attitude.

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 The major points of dispute between India and Bangladesh have been

control over Exclusive Economic Zone, long-standing border problem, sharing

of Ganges water and presence of a superpower in the backyard of India.

tn the Bay of Bengal both the countries have claims and counter claims

over Exclusive Economic Zone. Prospects of oil and gas in the region have

fueled the conflict. Similarly, there are many areas on the border where the

issue of control is yet to b~ resolved and critics argue that agreement over

Farakka is in favour of India. These reasons combined with the need of

minimum defense preparedness has forced Bangladesh more to look towards

the US in case of conflict and have sowed seeds of discontent among policy

makers, intelligentsia and general public.

The rumour about Bangladesh providing the US a base in the Bay of

Bengal and provisions of unhindered entry of the US troops through SOFA

have caused concern to India. Though these issues have not materialised,

India is uncomfortable at the prospect of presence of a superpower in its

backyard.

Also, as America is eyeing Bangladesh market and through it the

SAARC market for its services and product, it wit certainly eat into the market
.•

share of India. Efforts of India to counter such threats have further alienated

Bangladesh.

In the past also, the military regimes thrived on anti-India feelings.

They derived their legitimacy through pro-Islamic and pro-American stands,

which automatically resulted in anti-India feelings. Even today BNP, the major

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opposition party, has strong anti-India stand and accuses India of trying to

have hegemony in South Asia.

lhe third and forth hypothesis of the thesis are that the US-

Bangladesh cooperation improved the level of development in Bangladesh in

general indicated by socio-economic indicators though there has also been

increase in Socio-economic inequalities.

Initially Mujib was hesitant in receiving aid and assistance from the US.

However growing need of social and economic security provided a rational to

accept it from the US and West. With recognition of Bangladesh as an

independent state, stumbting block in the way of American aid flow to

Bangladesh was removed and the US began providing aid and assistance to

Bangladesh on humanitarian and development ground.

Amount of aid and assistance grew substantially during the Zia and

Ershad regime which was pro US & West. This growth was experienced in all

categories of aid, viz food, commodity and developmental, in which food aid

included substantial amount of grant component.

In the post cold war era, under the influence of liberalised and

globaHsed trade and investment regime, this relationship grew further during

the democratic government of Khaleda Zia and Hasina Wazed. Trade and

investment relationship has grown much beyond expectations and

subsequently the US aid has declined. However project aid is still very

important which strives for long term socio-economic development of

Bangladesh.

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 In 1991/92 whereas worth of trade materialised between Bangladesh

and the US was 91.49 million dollars, in 1998/99, 2268.50 million dollars

worth of trade materialsed between these two countries. Most significant

feature of this trade relations is trade balance in favour of Bangladesh which

helps in financing consumption as well as investment needs of Bangladesh.

Investment has also gained momentum in last five years between

1995/96 to 1999/2000. Total US investment in Bangladesh, which was

roughly estimated at US 20 million dollars till June 1996 has sharply risen to

US 750 million dollars in 1999. It has happened in the light of prospect of

potential reserves and exploitation of oil and natural gas and lucrative returns

in telecommunication and energy sector.

Aid and assistance has helped in the improvement of certain socio-

economic and demographic indictors. It has helped in increasing agriculture

output, moderate fluctuation in consumer prices, promotion of child education

through food for education program and reduction of fertility rate.

However, aid and assistance has not been able to contain relative

poverty and inequality. It has also been unable to reduce dependency on aid

and assistance due to non replacement of aid amount by domestic capital.

Relative poverty and inequality has grown due to systemic constraints and

trickle up effect.

Though the US provided technological support to Bangladesh, it was

limited to the input and physical infrastructure in Agriculture, rural

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electrification and health and nutritional and military training and few hard

wares for military.

Technological cooperation has been widened in post 1995 phase in

energy, telecommunication, oil and natural gas sector, though it has largely

been done by private firms of the US. But further cooperation is now expected

in computer hardware and IT, biotechnology and genetic engineering,

renewable energy, environment management oceanic resource exploration

and management, meteorology plant medicine and so on.

Cultural relations between Bangladesh and the US are not as

important as economic, though steps have been taken to strengthen it. The

US provides several scholarships to Bangladeshi students and teachers for

mutual understanding in the field of culture and exchange of ideas in the field

of science and technology and socio-economic aspects. Recently, in 1998 a

MOU was signed between the US Peace Corps and Bangladeshi

Government to provide English language training to primary school teachers

of Bangladesh.

One area where Bangladesh has continuously received support of the

US is aid and assistance during natural calamities such as cyclones and

floods. The US is still continuing its support like past during cyclones and

floods in the form of food, money and technology to meet. disasters. In fact

now the US concentrates budding socio-economic and technological

infrastructure in Bangladesh to meet natural disasters.

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 In cold war era, democracy, and human rights issues and

fundamentalism were largely ignored by the US, due to biopolar world

realties. But once USSR disintegrated and threat from communism was over

in 1990's, the US started supporting democratisation of polity and and

institutions and human rights in Bangladesh. The US supported and played a

constructive role in conducting two consecutive free and fair elections in 1991

and 1996. The US has played role even in rapproachment between two major

parties the BNP and the Awami league.

On Human rights issue, the US now concentrates on protection of

human rights and curbing fundamentalism in Bangladesh.

At present these two countries are marching on the path of fruitful mutual

cooperation, with increased vigour.

In sum, Bangladesh-US relations have elevated from the state of

existence to the state of development. Now these two countries cooperate in

several areas. In political relations overcoming phase of hostility, both have

developed understanding and cooperation in several national regional and

international issues. However, there are some contentious issues like

extradition, curbing Islamic fundamentalism, development and its linkages

with environment, eradication of child labour which are needed to be

resolved.

Now the US intends to help strengthening the democracy in the

context of liberal -inoividualistic perspective. The institutionalisation of

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democracy will help in the strengthening nation building process and

preservation of socio-cultural ethos of Bangladesh.

In the military and strategic area, there is vast scope of expanding the

existing cooperation of military training, joint exercise, joint rescue and

rehabilitation efforts and procurement of equipment.

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