For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt.Skip to main content
Bangladesh's foreign-policy doctrine and its bilateral relations with India and Myanmar—treaties, disputes, and the Rohingya crisis—for the BCS International Affairs paper.
Bangladesh's foreign policy is anchored in Article 25 of the 1972 Constitution, which commits the state to respect for national sovereignty and equality, non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for international law and UN Charter principles. Article 25(1)(c) uniquely obliges the state to support oppressed peoples "fighting against imperialism, colonialism or racialism"—a Liberation-War-era imprint.
The operative slogan, coined by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his September 1974 UN General Assembly address (the first delivered in Bengali), is "Friendship to all, malice towards none" (Shabar shathe bondhutto, karo shathe boiritta noy). This non-aligned posture was institutionalised when Bangladesh joined the Non-Aligned Movement in 1973, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 1974, and the Commonwealth in 1972, securing UN membership in September 1974 after the Soviet veto was lifted following China's earlier 1972 block.
Three structural realities shape Dhaka's external choices. First, geography: Bangladesh is nearly encircled by India (4,096 km border, the world's fifth-longest) and shares a 271 km frontier with Myanmar, making both neighbours unavoidable. Second, the Bay of Bengal, whose maritime resources and Indo-Pacific significance Bangladesh secured through favourable boundary judgments. Third, development diplomacy—remittances, the readymade-garment export economy, and climate vulnerability (Bangladesh is a leader of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and chaired it in 2011 and 2020).
Bangladesh practises a calibrated balancing among major powers: deepening economic ties with China (Belt and Road infrastructure, Padma Bridge rail link financing) while preserving its foundational relationship with India and courting Japan, the United States and the EU as export markets and donors. The 2023 adoption of an Indo-Pacific Outlook signalled an inclusive, non-confrontational stance avoiding explicit alignment.
India is Bangladesh's most consequential partner, having sponsored the 1971 Liberation War. Landmark instruments a candidate must retain:
Outstanding irritants include the unresolved Teesta River water-sharing dispute (blocked by West Bengal since 2011), border killings along the BSF-patrolled frontier, trade deficits, and connectivity through transit corridors. Following the political transition of August 2024, when Sheikh Hasina's government fell and an interim administration under Muhammad Yunus took office, Dhaka–Delhi relations entered a period of recalibration.
Bangladesh's relationship with Myanmar is dominated by the Rohingya refugee crisis. After the Myanmar military's "clearance operations" in Rakhine State beginning 25 August 2017, over 740,000 Rohingya fled into Cox's Bazar, joining earlier arrivals to total roughly 1 million in the world's largest refugee settlement (Kutupalong–Balukhali). Dhaka signed a bilateral repatriation arrangement with Myanmar in November 2017, but no significant voluntary, safe return has occurred.
Key instruments and positions to memorise:
For the BCS International Affairs section, foreign policy and South Asian regional relations are a recurring, high-yield cluster tested through both MCQs (preliminary) and analytical essays (written paper and the viva voce). Examiners reward candidates who can:
The PYQ angle is consistent: "Critically evaluate Bangladesh's India policy," "Discuss the Rohingya crisis and Bangladesh's options," and "Explain the principles guiding Bangladesh's foreign policy." A top script frames each answer around the "friendship to all" doctrine, names the binding legal instruments, and closes with a forward-looking policy recommendation (e.g., multilateralising repatriation through ASEAN and the UN, or renegotiating Farakka before 2026). Retain a one-line balance-of-power thesis: Bangladesh hedges between India and China while leveraging the Bay of Bengal's Indo-Pacific value—this single sentence can anchor an entire essay.
