Foreign policy & regional relations (India, Myanmar)

Constitutional and Doctrinal Foundations

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.

Strategic Drivers

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.

The India Relationship: Treaties and Disputes

India is Bangladesh's most consequential partner, having sponsored the 1971 Liberation War. Landmark instruments a candidate must retain:

• 1972 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace (25-year term; lapsed 1997).
• 1974 Land Boundary Agreement (Mujib–Indira Accord), finally operationalised by India's 100th Constitutional Amendment, 2015, exchanging 162 enclaves.
• 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty at Farakka, a 30-year accord expiring in 2026—a live renegotiation issue.
• The 2014 ITLOS / PCA maritime arbitration that awarded Bangladesh roughly 19,467 sq km of the disputed Bay of Bengal zone.

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.

Myanmar and the Rohingya Crisis

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:

• Bangladesh relocated tens of thousands of refugees to the silt island Bhasan Char from December 2020, drawing UNHCR scrutiny.
• In 2019, The Gambia filed a genocide case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice under the Genocide Convention (1948); the ICJ ordered provisional measures in January 2020, a process Dhaka supports.
• The maritime boundary with Myanmar was settled by the ITLOS judgment of 14 March 2012—the tribunal's first delimitation case—awarding Bangladesh a substantial exclusive economic zone and continental-shelf rights.
• Cross-border instability intensified after Myanmar's February 2021 coup and the Arakan Army's 2023–24 advances near the border, prompting Bangladeshi protests over stray shelling and airspace violations.

Why This Matters for the Exam

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:

1. Quote authorities precisely: Article 25 of the Constitution, the 1972 Friendship Treaty, the 1996 Ganges Treaty (expiry 2026), the 1974/2015 Land Boundary Agreement, and the two ITLOS/PCA maritime awards (2012 Myanmar, 2014 India).
2. Date the instances: 1974 UN membership, 2017 Rohingya exodus, 2024 government transition.
3. Analyse, not narrate: link Teesta and Farakka to water security; link the Rohingya to burden-sharing and the ICJ; link great-power balancing to the Indo-Pacific Outlook (2023).

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.