BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

THE ROHINGYA CRISIS AND NATIONAL SECURITY OF BANGLADESH: A SECURITY GOVERNANCE PERSPECTIVE

Author: Sheikh Masud Ahmed

DOI Link: https:///www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2021v42n4a1

ABSTRACT

The presence of more than 1.1 million Rohingyas has put enormous pressure on Bangladesh’s local and national security environment. The paper ponders how such a massive exodus creates insecurity for the host country by instigating social conflict among and between host communities and the Rohingyas. Thus, the present paper deals with two fundamental questions: how the prolonged stay of Rohingyas can affect the national security of Bangladesh, and how Bangladesh should approach the security governance in respect of Rohingyas in Bangladeshi camps while also engaging effectively for the safe, dignified, and sustained return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar? This paper endeavours to examine how Rohingya crisis can affect Bangladesh’s national security while also highlighting the overall security regime. The paper also aims to find out a plausible security governance framework to administer the Rohingya exodus. It argues that Rohingya crisis is a humanitarian catastrophe that can emerge as a national security concern for Bangladesh, demanding holistic security governance architecture. The paper also argues that collective failure of the international and regional community may destabilize the region’s overall security environment, let alone the national security of Bangladesh.