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The Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) hosted a dialogue session to discuss Bangladesh’s foreign policy on Thursday, 31st July 2025, at the CIRDAP (Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific) Auditorium. The session was moderated by Zillur Rahman, President of the Centre for Governance Studies.  

Zillur Rahman started off the program by saying the word ‘reform’ has now become a hated term. Foreign policy is extremely important for our national security. Over the past fifteen years, our relationship with Pakistan has not been good. Our ties with India have been better. The U.S. tariffs are now structured in a way that you either align with them or with China. Our economic situation is improving. However, the unemployment rate has increased, and the state of human rights is also in a troubling condition. Our relationship with the United States remains strained. Balancing relations with both China and India is also very crucial.

 Ambassador Humayun Kabir has said, The key element to democratic reconstruction is engaging in conversations and dialogue with key stakeholders. The greatest challenge we face in Bangladeshi diplomacy is Dhaka itself. I can conduct diplomacy with other countries, but when I return to Dhaka, I face difficulties in getting deals finalized. We have a tendency toward internal conflict, which is a major reason we fail to establish a strong foreign policy. Political actors often use external forces to undermine their opposition. We must remember that foreign policy is a two-way street; we only decide half of it; the other half is determined by the country we are negotiating with. In recent global conflicts, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish allies from adversaries. You might be surprised to know that in the 54 years since our independence, there have only been two major changes in our foreign policy. In contrast, the United States reviews its foreign and defense policies every four years. We’ve made only minor adjustments in over five decades. How can we engage economically and culturally with 192 other countries if we don’t regularly review our foreign policy? We are standing on one leg with our export dependency. We rely heavily on other countries for energy and have failed to diversify in the past 40 years.

Major General (Rtd.) A N M Muniruzzaman has said, The revolutionary aspirations have not been reflected in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fascism is an ecosystem. To restructure, we must remove the collaborators of fascism within the Foreign Ministry. The private sector must be included in foreign policy. Bureaucrats alone won’t suffice. We must begin working on climate diplomacy. Embassies need to be strengthened to protect the interests of expatriates. SAARC must be revitalized. We must also become defenders of human rights. Our maritime policy needs to be redefined and communicated to foreign nations. Water diplomacy is crucial for us. We are about to face new challenges regarding water. We must enhance our capabilities in cybersecurity. We need to acquire new skills in technology. We must think about how to align ourselves with all countries.

Zahir Uddin Swapon said there needs to be a shift in political culture, which will create harmony in terms of foreign policy. We are an import-based economy. Our sources of foreign currency are remittances and the RMG (Ready-Made Garments) sector. For exports, we rely heavily on the United States and Europe. We’ve become increasingly dependent on loans. Cybersecurity needs to be understood in depth. For us, there is no alternative to SAARC. Strengthening regional relationships is crucial, and SAARC plays a vital role in that. The Bay of Bengal is one of the key strategic areas for the Indo-Pacific. For the economic shipment of the eastern sphere we are in a very important place. Whoever comes into power in the next elections needs to keep all of these things in mind in designing their foreign policy.

Mojibur Rahman Monju has said, We are in a complex situation. For a country like ours, foreign policy is inherently complicated. Aligning with the U.S., China, or India has now become a highly intricate matter. Hasina leaned toward India for a long time, which helped her stay in power for an extended period. We need to establish checks and balances in our relationship with India. Due to U.S. tariffs, a large number of our people are facing difficulties. To resolve this, we may need to lean toward one particular country. Otherwise, we must adopt a policy of friendship with all and malice toward none. Alternatively, we could take a humanitarian approach. In my opinion, following a third path would be best. We should move forward based on facts and grounded in honesty.

Abul Hasan Chowdhury has said the public should have the right to decide which projects their tax money will fund. This would be highly successful. Diaspora communities should have representation in parliament. This government has formed many commissions, but none on foreign policy. We must build a strong relationship with China. The U.S. has signed non-disclosure agreements with almost every country.

Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary has said, foreign policy always has to reflect domestic interests. There is a lack of consensus among political parties regarding our foreign policy. Our relationship with India is currently strained. We have become overly dependent on India. We failed to think of alternatives regarding issues like visas or water sharing. The interim government initially made many provocative statements, but no one responded to them. No one has stepped forward to help resolve the Rohingya crisis. Instead of being agents of other countries, we must become agents of Bangladesh. No decision should be made without national consensus. We need to adopt a diaspora-friendly policy. All policies concerning our country should be determined by us.

Mahdi Amin said that, during the Ziaur Rahman regime, there was a big shift in the foreign policy. This government doesn’t have any mandate but has the support of the political stakeholders. But how they govern has not reflected that support; they have not consulted any stakeholders when making decisions that are very important to foreign policy. There are a lot of issues that are not being addressed to a democratic value in terms of foreign policy. The BNP has always maintained an integration between all the relevant stakeholders; they brought together people from different backgrounds. We now need to make decisions based on differing opinions. Maritime security must be strengthened. IT security also needs to be reinforced. The Rohingya must be repatriated in a dignified manner. To resolve the water crisis, both bilateral and multilateral negotiations are necessary.

Parvez Karim Abbasi said the new world order is also facing a Cold War-like situation. Who is the most powerful is still a topic of debate. Though in terms of economy USA is still number 1, its dollar is in the federal reserve of most countries in the world. At the same time, you cannot have bad relations with China, a big percentage of our raw materials are imported from China. We have to equally balance two of these powers with delicacy. During the crises in Russia and Afghanistan, Pakistan created a humanitarian corridor, which has led to ongoing problems such as drug trafficking and weapons supply. We should learn from this. Nowadays, small-scale conflicts are occurring in many countries. Our debt burden is also increasing.

Ambassador M Shafiullah said, A significant amount of money is spent on each officer in the Foreign Ministry. The Ministry must remain at the center of foreign policy. Political parties should not interfere. Every political party must agree on a national consensus regarding foreign policy. Without this, changes in government lead to changes in policy, which creates many challenges for diplomats.

Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmed has said, There needs to be consensus among political parties regarding foreign policy. Our policies must be shaped according to the demands of the people. Graduation from LDC status is not inherently negative. However, we are not prepared to take on the responsibilities that come with it. Instead, we must leverage LDC graduation to our advantage. Friendship with all and enmity with none must be implemented sincerely. Establishing relations with Israel does not automatically improve our ties with the United States. Foreign policy depends on our internal strength. Therefore, we must set clear political and economic directions. 

Major Md Emdadul Islam (Rtd.) has said, According to the International Crisis Group report, we should establish communication with the Arakan Army. A conflict between the Arakan Army and the Rohingya is likely to erupt soon, which will create complications for Bangladesh. 

Ambassador Shahidul Islam has said, Over the past 15 years, sovereignty and integrity have not been prioritized. We tend to conflate foreign policy with diplomacy, but these are not the same. Why can’t we repatriate the Rohingya? A democratic foreign policy must prioritize the people. Since the July Revolution, there has been a public demand to disclose all treaties between India and Bangladesh. This should be done urgently. History has compelled us to maintain relations with India. 

Major Gen. (Rtd.) Amsa Amin has said, there are foreign intelligence agencies like RAW and CIA, where is our foreign intelligence agency? What do they do that is actually useful to the country? 

Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah has said, we need to engage in Track 2 diplomacy. The principle of ‘Friendship to all, malice toward none’ has turned into ‘Friendship to one.’ The United States previously urged us to normalize relations with Israel. Now, this could be included within a non-disclosure framework, leaving us with no room to act. 

Shafqat Munir has said, no commission has ever been formed on foreign policy or national security policy. Foreign policy will not become dynamic unless the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself becomes dynamic. I am doubtful whether we have had any coherent foreign policy over the past sixteen years. The remuneration of our diplomats is significantly lower compared to other countries. How much linguistic training have we been able to provide to our diplomats? A new subdivision needs to be created for diaspora diplomacy. Just as initiatives have been taken to bring change in other sectors of the state, similar efforts have not been made in foreign policy. Qualified individuals must be involved in shaping foreign policy. The era of slogan-based foreign policy like ‘friendship with all, malice toward none’ is now over.

M S Shekil Chowdhury has said, he regularly talks to the foreign immigrants from Bangladesh and the consulates and the embassies are not doing very well. The people out there are not good at their jobs. Now that there are tariffs, we are worried about what might and might not happen. Why didn’t we do our homework as a country? The politics and business have been so intertwined that the businesses serve the political interest, it creates problems for businesses. The United States has merged politics with trade. We need to include people with expertise in trade in this space. It’s not enough to have only diplomats here. Those with experience in the private sector, who work with this data, must be involved.

Zonayed Saki has said, we must now make decisions based on national interest. Negotiation is extremely important at this stage to safeguard those interests. For that, a proper political framework needs to be established. 

Nurul Haq Nur has said that, before shaping foreign policy, we must strengthen our domestic politics. Do we truly have the capacity to purchase 25 Boeing aircraft? This was done to please the United States. We need to think seriously about diversifying our exports. I believe there will be minor conflicts between Bangladesh and India, similar to what has occurred between Thailand and Cambodia.

Barrister Nasrin Sultana Mili has said, Hasina’s policy was once friendship with all, but it has shifted from ‘malice toward none’ to ‘friendship with one.’ We haven’t been able to establish any basic foreign policy. We’re not in a position to ignore India, China, or the United States—this is the reality. Through tariffs, America is essentially dictating our foreign policy. The reason is that we lack skilled personnel. There’s no one competent enough to assist this government. In 2025, we’re being dragged into the War on Terror. We have no discussion or consideration regarding the distribution of the Ganges water. In 2026, we’ll face a major shock over both the Ganges water issue and our graduation from LDC status.

Bobby Hajjaj has said, he is not a foreign policy expert, but since he dabbles in politics, he has an idea of what the people are experiencing. He said that there is no good service in the embassy, and that there is a majority of officials who are still loyal to the past regime. The interim government has not been transparent; they have signed NDA’s with superpowers without letting the people of the country know what they want to do. Our foreign policy must strike a balance among India, the United States, and China. India is a reality we must define what our new relationship with India will look like.