Bangladesh Shows the Limits of Biden’s ‘Democracy Promotion’
null By Sadanand DhumeJan. 3, 2024 6:32 pm ETJournal Editorial Report: Best guesses of what's to come from Kim Strassel, Bill McGurn and Dan Henninger. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyBangladeshi voters head to the polls on Sunday for an election in which the result is all but preordained. Thanks to an opposition party boycott, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the ruling Awami League is poised to win a fourth consecutive term as leader of the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people. A Hasina victory will also mark a defeat for President Biden, who has made Bangladesh a centerpiece of his effort to place democracy at the heart of U.S. foreign policy.The 76-year-old Ms. Hasina, who has held power longer than any currently serving elected female leader worldwide, presents a striking paradox. She has curbed radical Islam, ensured civilian supremacy over the army, and led her country out of extreme poverty—achievements not many developing countries’ leaders can claim.
Jan. 3, 2024 6:32 pm ET
Bangladeshi voters head to the polls on Sunday for an election in which the result is all but preordained. Thanks to an opposition party boycott, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the ruling Awami League is poised to win a fourth consecutive term as leader of the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people. A Hasina victory will also mark a defeat for President Biden, who has made Bangladesh a centerpiece of his effort to place democracy at the heart of U.S. foreign policy.
The 76-year-old Ms. Hasina, who has held power longer than any currently serving elected female leader worldwide, presents a striking paradox. She has curbed radical Islam, ensured civilian supremacy over the army, and led her country out of extreme poverty—achievements not many developing countries’ leaders can claim. At the same time, Ms. Hasina’s take-no-prisoners approach to politics fits “Game of Thrones” better than a parliamentary democracy. Those who refuse to bend the knee risk legal harassment or even violence.
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About this article
Sadanand Dhume writes a biweekly column on India and South Asia for WSJ.com. He focuses on the region’s politics, economics and foreign policy.
Mr. Dhume is also a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Previously he worked as the New Delhi bureau chief of the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), and as Indonesia correspondent for FEER and The Wall Street Journal Asia.
Mr. Dhume is the author of “My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist,” (Skyhorse Publishing, 2009), which charts the rise of the radical Islamist movement in Indonesia. His next book will look at India’s transformation since the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
Mr. Dhume holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Delhi, a master’s degree in international relations from Princeton University and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, and travels frequently to India.
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