{ "id": "R44094", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44094", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 585898, "date": "2017-10-17", "retrieved": "2018-10-04T14:07:36.003446", "title": "Bangladesh and Bangladesh-U.S. Relations", "summary": "Bangladesh (the former East Pakistan) is a Muslim-majority nation in South Asia, bordering India, Burma, and the Bay of Bengal. It is the world\u2019s eighth most populous country with nearly 160 million people living in a land area about the size of Iowa. It is an economically poor nation, and it suffers from high levels of corruption. In recent years, its democratic system has faced an array of challenges, including political violence, weak governance, poverty, demographic and environmental strains, and Islamist militancy. The United States has a long-standing and supportive relationship with Bangladesh, and it views Bangladesh as a moderate voice in the Islamic world. In relations with Dhaka, Bangladesh\u2019s capital, the U.S. government, along with Members of Congress, has focused on a range of issues, especially those relating to economic development, humanitarian concerns, labor rights, human rights, good governance, and counterterrorism. \nThe Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) dominate Bangladeshi politics. When in opposition, both parties have at times sought to regain control of the government through demonstrations, labor strikes, and transport blockades, as well as at the ballot box. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been in office since 2009, and her AL party was reelected in January 2014 with an overwhelming majority in parliament\u2014in part because the BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, boycotted the vote. The BNP has called for new elections, and in recent years, it has organized a series of blockades and strikes. The AL also has moved forward with a war crimes tribunal to prosecute atrocities committed during Bangladesh\u2019s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. Many of the accused have been political opponents of the AL government. \nThere is little optimism among observers that the AL and the BNP will find a compromise over their political differences, and some analysts are concerned that the political crisis could increase the influence of Islamist extremists and further destabilize the country. Bangladeshi authorities have pursued Islamist militants\u2014with some apparent success\u2014but there have been reports of arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings. Several militant groups have re-formed after government operations against them, and some allegedly have developed links with international terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Also, Islamist extremists increasingly have targeted religious and ethnic minorities\u2014as well as foreigners\u2014in Bangladesh.\nBangladesh likely will face a range of other challenges, particularly related to its population growth, population density, and environmental degradation\u2014which many experts believe likely will be exacerbated by climate change. Some experts project that millions could be displaced by climate change in the future.\nIn recent years, Rohingya refugees from Burma have fled to Bangladesh to escape persecution. This movement escalated dramatically between August and September 2017 when violence in Burma\u2019s Rakhine State led to a new surge of over half a million Rohingya refugees crossing the border into Bangladesh.\nMuch international attention has focused on working conditions in Bangladesh. The country plays a significant role in the global textile-industry supply chain. In 2016, Bangladesh\u2019s garment sector accounted for over 80% (or about $25 billion) of the country\u2019s exports. About $5.3 billion of those exports went to the United States. However, the industry has come under increased scrutiny, particularly following the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed over 1,000 workers.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44094", "sha1": "808acd52ba64ab770898464be6e39e81ecaf55e8", "filename": "files/20171017_R44094_808acd52ba64ab770898464be6e39e81ecaf55e8.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44094_files&id=/0.png": "files/20171017_R44094_images_5d4065818d8ba7b34929c4219442d47e78690586.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44094_files&id=/1.png": "files/20171017_R44094_images_72a8f47e44ca6a5ae4bee403f9073c04e3640a20.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44094", "sha1": "0c5845a21dd67ae5909aa21c465434e0c15476a2", "filename": "files/20171017_R44094_0c5845a21dd67ae5909aa21c465434e0c15476a2.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 442598, "date": "2015-06-08", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:58:22.198010", "title": "Bangladesh: Political and Strategic Developments and U.S. Interests", "summary": "Bangladesh (the former East Pakistan) is a Muslim-majority nation in South Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, dominated by low-lying riparian zones. It is the world\u2019s eighth most populous country, with approximately 160 million people housed in a land mass about the size of Iowa. It is a poor nation and suffers from high levels of corruption and a faltering democratic system that has been subject to an array of pressures in recent years. These pressures include a combination of political violence, corruption, weak governance, poverty, demographic and environmental stress, and Islamist militancy. The United States has long-standing supportive relations with Bangladesh and views Bangladesh as a moderate voice in the Islamic world. The U.S. government and Members of Congress have focused on issues related to economic development, humanitarian concerns, labor rights, human rights, good governance, and counterterrorism among other issues as part of the United States\u2019 bilateral relationship with Bangladesh.\nThe Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) dominate Bangladeshi politics. When in opposition, both parties have sought to regain control of the government through demonstrations, labor strikes, and transport blockades. Such mass protests are known as hartals in South Asia. The current AL government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was reelected in January 2014 with an overwhelming majority in parliament. Hasina has been in office since 2009. The BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, boycotted the 2014 election. The AL has moved forward with a war crimes tribunal to prosecute atrocities from the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Street protests and political instability continued in 2015 as the BNP has called for new elections and a return to the system of caretaker government in the lead up to elections. There is little optimism among observers that the AL and the BNP will find a compromise for their political differences. Speculation continues that, should the situation deteriorate further, the army could intervene to break the political impasse. Some analysts are concerned that the influence of Islamist extremists could increase and further destabilize the country. These concerns are heightened by the ongoing political crisis as some observers fear this turmoil may create opportunities for Islamists by diminishing the government\u2019s ability to monitor and combat militants. Islamist militants have been vigorously pursued by Bangladesh authorities reportedly with success. Despite this, reports indicate that some groups continue to be able to regroup after successful government operations against them. There are also reports that may indicate increasing transnational linkages with terrorist groups outside of Bangladesh.\nDemographic pressure and environmental problems, which experts believe are likely exacerbated by climate change, increasingly are problems for Bangladesh. A growing population of high density, when combined with limited economic resilience and constraints on the extent to which agricultural output can be expanded, could prove to adversely affect human security in Bangladesh in the years ahead. This could further contribute to political instability in the future. Human rights abuses, refugees, and poor labor conditions in Bangladesh also remain of concern to the U.S. government. Extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, weak judicial capacity, pervasive official corruption and politically motivated violence reportedly continue in Bangladesh. There are also reports of attacks against religious and ethnic minority groups. Increasing numbers of Rohingya refugees from Burma, as well as Bangladeshis, have taken to the sea to flee persecution in Burma and seek a better life beyond Bangladesh. Much international attention is also focused on working conditions in Bangladesh as a result of the 2013 Rana Plaza Factory collapse in which over 1,000 people died. Bangladesh plays a significant role in textile industry global supply chains.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44094", "sha1": "8a3130024365d836d9607dfbb26e28dcdd7a123a", "filename": "files/20150608_R44094_8a3130024365d836d9607dfbb26e28dcdd7a123a.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44094", "sha1": "c1d6cc7c5e92885b38edb52ea63464159c5fdc89", "filename": "files/20150608_R44094_c1d6cc7c5e92885b38edb52ea63464159c5fdc89.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Asian Affairs", "Foreign Affairs", "Intelligence and National Security", "National Defense" ] }