Citing the example of Bangladesh’s pragmatism in foreign policy interactions, renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh caretaker government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury has said Bangladesh often takes dual approach, meaning high profile in low-risk environment and low profile in high-risk environment.
In a constellation of play of power, small and middle powers have to find their own place for interaction, said Chowdhury, also honorary fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore (NUS).
He emphasized on the point that in order to understand the foreign policy of a country, understanding its historical foundation and elite behavior is important.
As a keynote speaker at a “Lecture Club Discussion” on “Foundations of Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy Interactions” on Saturday, he also talked about the growing importance of soft power in foreign policy interactions and cited the example of non-formal primary education concept promulgated by BRAC.
Chowdhury said Bangladesh possessed non-technological or intellectual resources that can be pressed into the service of foreign policy as 'soft-power”.
He deliberated on the increasing importance of economic diplomacy.
Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) recently organized a lecture club discussion on one of the core topics of national security, the eminent issue of the ‘Foundation of Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy Interactions’.
The event was moderated by BIPSS President Major General A N M Muniruzzaman (Retd).
The BIPSS president said the preservation of national sovereignty and national interest should be the prime focus in maintaining the foreign policy interactions of Bangladesh.
Dr Chowdhury in his keynote speech said that historically the essential attribute that distinguishes the present day Bangladeshis from the major regional communities is their ‘Muslimness’ and ‘Bengaliness’.
These are invoked when one or the other attribute is threatened. This behavioral pattern forms a part of the political heritage of the Bangladeshis and largely guides the international interactions of their sovereign country.
He said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s guiding principle of 'friendship towards all and malice towards none' was derived from the complexities of such historical experience.
Upon achieving sovereignty, Bangladeshi had two broad aspirations, first the preservation of security and second the quest for resources for development, he said.
“These led to the need for the creation of a web of extra-regional linkages. The country was also driven by the need to live in concord with but distinct from the powerful neighbor, India,” he was quoted as saying in a media release issued by the BIPSS on Sunday.
Static and dynamic compulsions led to five behavioral characteristics in foreign policy interactions; one, extreme circumspection and avoidance of flashy politics; two, joining as many wider groupings of countries as possible; three, taking 'higher profile' on low-risk issues, and 'lower -profile' on high risk issues'; four, conformity to as many global club-rules among nation-states as possible, and finally emphasizing relations with multilateral institutions, he said.
The moderator said the international system is in a flux and major shifts in the regional and international systems are visible.
“It is time for Bangladeshi diplomats and security thinkers to take note of the system that is about to emerge internationally so that Bangladesh can maintain its strategic position and interest,” he said.
Diplomats stationed in Dhaka, former Chief of Air Staff, former foreign secretaries, heads of international organizations, former senior military and civil officials, editors and members of academia, among others, were present.