25 Years of BIISS An Anthology

Marking a quarter century of inquiry and policy engagement, this anthology curates landmark BIISS writings that shaped debates on Bangladesh’s security, foreign policy and development strategy from 1978 to 2003. The collection is organized thematically—regional geopolitics, national security doctrine, economic diplomacy, human security and governance—so readers can trace the evolution of ideas alongside national and global inflection points. Early essays grapple with post-independence institution building, relations with India and Myanmar, and the first generation of trade and energy questions. Subsequent contributions capture the emergence of Bay of Bengal maritime issues, the SAARC experiment, and the shift from Cold War certainties to fluid post–1990 alignments. Human security and disaster management move from the margins to the core as authors connect cyclone risk, food systems and social policy with strategic credibility. Methodologically, the anthology reflects BIISS’s blend of practitioner perspective and academic rigor: descriptive statistics and archival sources sit next to field insight and comparative case studies. A recurring motif is the search for strategic autonomy within interdependence—how to diversify partnerships, strengthen institutions, and turn geography into advantage. By assembling these essays with fresh introductions, the volume becomes both a historical record and a living guide, illuminating which recommendations traveled, which stalled, and what capabilities proved decisive for Bangladesh’s resilience and international standing.