Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) and Cosmos Foundation Bangladesh have signed a MoU to jointly host a series of roundtable discussions on issues of national, regional and international interests. President of BIPSS Major General ANM Muniruzzman (retd) and Founder of Cosmos Group Enayetullah Khan recently signed the cooperation agreement representing their respective side. The BIPSS-Cosmos deal will focus on cooperation, the mutual exchange of information, the improvement of events, seminars, research and academic programmes. Also read: 'BRAVEHEART’: Gallery Cosmos pays rich artistic tribute to Bangabandhu BIPSS is a non-party, non-profit organization and independent think tank devoted to studying peace and security issues related to South and Southeast Asia. Cosmos Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group that provides strategic insights and policy solutions for Bangladesh’s journey toward a better future. Also read: Bangladesh must ensure strategic balance amid new tensions: BIPSS president

The world order, almost dictated and instigated by a wide range of factors and variables, is always evolving, leaving the realities of yesteryears in history and introducing newer dynamics, regimes and paradigms, speakers said at a discussion. They said there are always newer trends emerging on the horizon, following the inclusions of the slightest of alterations in the spheres of politics, economy and strategy. President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) Major General (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman and Editor of Dhaka Tribune Zafar Sobhan harboured and showcased similar sentiments in their opening remarks at the BIPSS-Dhaka Tribune roundtable titled, “Global Trends 2022” held at a city hotel on Sunday. The roundtable was attended by a number of diplomats, scholars, security experts, and youth representatives from various disciplines. Also read: Misinformation severe deterrence to progress: BIPSS President BIPSS President Muniruzzaman highlighted the key facets and variables concerning global trends, the plausible economic shocks and the “consequences of consequences”. “We live in an interconnected world. A scenario anywhere is a scenario everywhere,” he said while also mentioning that trade, economy, security and strategy are just a few issues that we have to tackle among many. Muniruzzaman indicated that they are in the process of “global urbanisation” and talked about the emergence of megacities, especially in South Asia, and the overarching influence of this towards the global trends. He discussed the global surge in populism, introduction of a data driven world, emergence of “disruptive technologies.” Muniruzzaman elaborated that this year all need to revisit, rework and reinvigorate their relationship with the earth to overcome major pertinent security threats such as food, water and energy insecurities. He said they ought to comprehend events that will shape the future and never rule out “Black Swan” incidents, like the possibilities of incidents like solar geomagnetic events that could potentially disrupt, or even destroy communications and other technology upon which we have become so dependent.  One of the keynote speakers and CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya emphasised the major dimension in terms of economic and global trends, pandemic and vaccinations. He also highlighted the existing disparity and the possibility that the inequity in terms of vaccinations might soldier on. The economist identified the disruptiveness of the year 2020, and although things started to look up in the year 2021, that is slowly “withering away” with the emerging economic uncertainties. He identified upcoming challenges for Bangladesh in the economic spectrum and the absolute need to remain vigilant to cope with these uncertainties. Delving into the trends associated with technology and security, second keynote speaker Shafqat Munir, Research Fellow at BIPSS, highlighted the various potential flashpoints, introduction of newer domains of warfare, hybrid warfare and the unabated arms race. The potential flashpoints that came to the forefront included Ukraine and European security, showcasing the absolute tension existent between Ukraine and Russia. The Taiwan Strait also came on the front burner again with strong advocacy within Taiwan for independence, while escalating tensions with China. Tensions also evidently escalated between China and India too, which has direct implications for Bangladesh. Shafqat Munir also highlighted the other existing trends such as the unabated arms race slowly looming around the corner, the increased levels of contestation, militarization and competing strategies in the maritime domain. He discussed the recurring frequency of hybrid wars and how it’ll be a “Game Changer” and highlighted the technological trends, emphasizing upon the role of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Augmented reality and how this whole technological trend will completely reshape our perception of reality. He put forth the recommendation that Bangladesh ought to integrate Artificial Intelligence and Robotics into our daily lives to “Stay Ahead of the Curve.” Also read: UN roundtable on climate: PM places 5-point suggestion to protect planet Pondering upon the broader geo-political and strategic trends, the third keynote speaker, Dr. Lailufar Yasmin, Professor, at the department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, started with the emphasis of economics, the interconnected world that we live in, and the ‘Butterfly Effect’ in action, by exemplifying the outbreak of Covid-19 in Wuhan and it eventually caused political, social and economic challenges all over the world. Highlighting environmental issues, she pointed to the dangers of climate change and change in weather patterns with the onset of extreme winters and extreme summers. She also pointed out Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, China and Taiwan and their geo-political realities, the growing significance of the Bay of Bengal with mechanisms like AUKUS emerging on the scene. She also highlighted the conflicts and destabilizations, notably the recent developments in Burkina Faso. On the social front, there was a growing aging population in western countries and the potential for Bangladesh to send semi-skilled labour in order to meet the consequent demand there, rather than the practice of sending unskilled labour.  Lailufar Yasmin also pointed to mental health issues during the pandemic, including the stress of joblessness and so on. Thanking everyone, Zafar Sobhan ended on a rather ambivalent note, highlighting the change in terms of dynamic and paradigms and saying that “We can’t talk of 2022 in isolation. It is the start of a new world. The pandemic has put the world in a deep freeze from which we are now emerging.”

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), reminiscent of the Silk Road, is a long-term infrastructural project that would stretch from the heart of China, all the way to Europe which will help Asia cope with infrastructure financing gaps. This was echoed by President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) Major General ANM Muniruzzaman and Editor of Dhaka Tribune Zafar Sobhan in their remarks at the BIPSS-Dhaka Tribune Roundtable titled, 'Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): Connecting the World', which was held at the Westin. The BRI project of China will create partnership linkages among the sub-regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. BRI presents an array of opportunities for Bangladesh, they said. The roundtable was attended by diplomats, scholars, security experts, and youth representatives from various disciplines. Also read: BRI Is Open, Inclusive and Beneficial to All BIPSS President Muniruzzaman highlighted the key facets and variables concerning BRI, the underlying opportunities and challenges, and what it means for Bangladesh to maintain a strategic balance being a member of the grand infrastructural initiative. He said BRI is happening at a time when significant changes are taking place in the international system, according to a media release issued on Monday. Zafar Sobhan, editor of The Dhaka Tribune, in his welcome remarks said it is important to take a deeper look at BRI projects, including how they may affect Bangladesh. Muniruzzaman further discussed how Bangladesh has a significant geostrategic role in BRI. “We expect that BRI projects shouldn’t cause any harm to the environment,” he added. While discussing the project of the century, Muniruzzaman focused on how BRI encompasses several continents in a network of roads and sea-routes. Also read: BRI wins applause for driving growth among emerging markets The first keynote speaker, Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), began her remarks with an emphasis on the economic and trade benefits of BRI, and its implications for Bangladesh. During her speech, she also highlighted the infrastructural gap currently existing in Bangladesh and BRI will be a key supplement to fulfilling this gap. Fahmida Khatun said it is imperative for Bangladesh to follow a cautious approach regarding Chinese investments. Highlighting the role of BRI member countries, second keynote speaker Parvez Karim Abbasi, Assistant Professor of the Department of Economics at East West University, began his deliberations by talking about the geo-economic implications of BRI for the region. He also highlighted the fact how the whole project of BRI is actually an integral part of the Chinese socioeconomic identity. Abbasi added, “BRI is a concrete manifestation of China’s emergence as an economic powerhouse and it will help expand connectivity transcending the borders between nations.” He said the fate of China is intrinsically linked to BRI. "Due to the pandemic, there’ve been major economic implications for the world. The small states need to take each step with precision and clarity. The role of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has to be studied with in-depth details." Summarizing the discussion, Muniruzzaman said although there will be major implications for the signatory countries, they need to utilise the funds channeled through BRI for the prosperity of our nation. An interactive session with the audience was followed who further enriched the discussion. The participants included foreign diplomats, security sector personnel, scholars and journalists.

Speakers at a roundtable in the city on Wednesday suggested replication of Hilsa experience in preserving crab in the south-western region of the country.