Bangladesh: Background and U.S. Relations

Abstract

Bangladesh (the former East Pakistan) gained its independence in 1971, following India s intervention in a rebellion against West Pakistan (currently called Pakistan). Democratic elections in 1991 ended two decades of authoritarian rule in Dhaka. The Bangladesh National Party (BNP), which leads the ruling coalition, and the leading opposition party, the Awami League (AL), traditionally have dominated Bangladeshi politics. The BNP is led by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia while the AL is led by Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh has been a largely moderate and democratic country. This status is increasingly under threat from a combination of political violence, weak governance, poverty, corruption, and rising Islamist militancy. When in opposition, both parties have sought to regain control of the government through demonstrations, labor strikes, and transport blockades.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 07, 2006
Accession Number
ADA461379

Entities

People

  • Bruce Vaughn

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Asia
  • Bangladesh
  • Climate Change
  • Commerce
  • Department Of State
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Floods
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Military Education
  • Minority Groups
  • South Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Violence

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security