BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

THE EVOLVING NOTION OF DEFENCE DIPLOMACY: STRATEGY FOR BANGLADESH AND ITS ARMED FORCES FOR PURSUING NATIONAL INTERESTS

Author: M A Saadi

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2023v44n2a4

ABSTRACT

Defence diplomacy, in addition to traditional methods of diplomacy, has been recently emphasised by scholars and practitioners for achieving a country’s national interests. Contemporary literature posits that defence diplomacy activities range from bilateral and multilateral exchanges between defence and senior military officials to bilateral defence cooperation agreements, training of foreign civilian and military personnel, appointment of defence attachés to foreign countries, and bilateral and multilateral military exercises or training. Bangladesh, since its independence, has ensured an active presence in the arena of global diplomacy, peace and security. To uphold its national interests, the country has also actively pursued economic diplomacy to secure its national growth and developmental goals. However, the evolving geopolitical environment globally and especially, regionally necessitates that Bangladesh makes use of all sorts of diplomatic measures and initiatives to achieve its national interests. Hence, Bangladesh needs to tap into the tools and techniques of defence diplomacy. There are some existing measures and strategies of defence diplomacy strongly pursued by Bangladesh. Nevertheless, it is suggested in the paper that Bangladesh needs to revamp these existing tools and techniques as well as adopt new ones such as: acknowledging defence diplomacy as a component of national soft power, expanding ‘outreach’ to regional collective security and stability, acknowledging it as a component of national diplomatic manoeuvring and finally, also acknowledging it as an area of expertise. The paper is qualitative in nature but makes use of both secondary resources and primary information generated through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs).