The international community would be well advised to take note of the Islamist ascendance that presently imperils the country. Though Bangladesh is one the poorest nations in the world, it is strategically important to the U.S.-led “War on Terror.” This is why international pressure must be applied to the country. Bangladesh must be forced to dismantle the terrorist training and ideological infrastructure, something the current government has been unable to do effectively because its coalition partner is part of the problem.

The current crisis unfolding in Bangladesh must act as an early warning signal. It is a dark glimmer of what groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and the Jamaat-i-Islami do once they become part of governments. Advocates of allowing Islamist parties to enter the democratic process must take notice: groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Jamaat abuse their authority and dangerously push for greater powers and privileges which allow them to try and destroy democracy from within. Greater political responsibilities aren’t dissuading them from trying to violently implement Shariah law; they only embolden them. At the very least, recent developments in Bangladesh suggest that any serious discussion of counterterrorism strategy must include a country that for too long has been ignored.

This frontpage magazine story is definitely a reflection of what have been written in Indian and Foreign Media for the last several years and lately also in Bangladesh media. Considering the recent unfolding of events in Bangladesh, there is no room to doubt some authenticity of the report. However what strikes me is the stunning similarity of the tone in the reporting especially in the last two paragraph with that of the demands of the major opposition party in Bangladesh.

Why there is a need for foreign pressure to have things done in Bangladesh? Bangladesh is not America occupied Iraq so that America has to ensure that things are done right in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has a fiercely free and powerful media, a distinctively loud opposition, an effective democracy and an upcoming election. If the opposition and the media honestly focus on the firsthand criminals, Government will have no option but come down hard on them. Recent police/RAB successes against JMB is such an example.

Why there is a tendency to seek foreign intervention for every little thing in Bangladesh? It is already 35 years since liberation of our country, but how many more years we need before achieving the emotional and psychological liberation?

–Rumi