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Abstract
This article provides a comprehensive assessment of the national security challenges and options for Bangladesh in the early 1990s. It argues for a broad, multi-dimensional understanding of security that goes beyond traditional military threats. The study identifies a range of challenges. In the traditional military sphere, it discusses the security dilemma posed by being a smaller state surrounded by a much larger neighbor. In the non-traditional sphere, it analyzes a host of pressing challenges, including political instability, environmental degradation (floods, cyclones, sea-level rise), water scarcity due to transboundary river issues, and economic vulnerability. The research then explores the strategic options available to Bangladesh to address these challenges. These include strengthening its defense capabilities, pursuing a proactive foreign policy of multilateral and regional diplomacy, and, most importantly, focusing on internal consolidation through democratic governance and sustainable development. The paper concludes that for Bangladesh, national security is inextricably linked to human security and sustainable development.
Full Text
Defining and securing the national interests of Bangladesh requires a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of a wide array of challenges. This paper offers such an assessment, arguing against a purely military-centric view of national security. The analysis is structured around the different dimensions of security. The first section examines the traditional geopolitical and military dimension. It explores the security implications of Bangladesh's geographical location and the significant power asymmetry in the region, which necessitates a sophisticated and pragmatic diplomatic strategy. The second, and more extensive, section delves into the non-traditional security challenges, which the paper argues are more immediate and existential for Bangladesh. It provides a detailed analysis of environmental security, focusing on the country's extreme vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. It also examines resource security, with a particular emphasis on the critical issue of water security and its linkage to the dispute over transboundary rivers. The paper further explores the challenge of political instability and its impact on national cohesion and state capacity. In the final section, the paper outlines a set of strategic options. It advocates for a policy of "security through development," positing that the most effective way to enhance national security is to build a resilient economy, a stable democracy, and a more educated and healthy population. This internal strength, the paper concludes, must be complemented by an agile foreign policy that prioritizes regional cooperation and multilateral engagement.