Foreign policy options for Bangladesh

Nasim Firdaus

Photo: AFP

Changing global imperatives
The disintegration of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the emergence of new countries of different origins, ethnicity and religion, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan created new opportunities for countries globally to re-think their foreign policy options and realign their alliances. Fifty years of cold war between the super powers came to a dramatic end without a single shot being fired.

With it came the end of all international dialogues that were principally based on ideologies across the divides. The North-South Dialogue of the seventies between the "haves and the have-nots," and the South-South Dialogue of cooperation amongst the "have-nots," had dissipated long before the cold war was over. New alliances were being sought and created to replace those lost in the mêlée of things. By the end of the seventies, ripples of a "soon to be changed" world were being felt, principally after the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union.

Both in West Asia and South Asia, nervous allies could not sit still while a super power with heavy arsenal was invading an Asian neighbour. Murmurs of looking east, rather than the west, were being heard as quiet diplomacy on reassuring Asia on the security front was on the move. ASEAN, the sleeping tiger, was creating its own security forum called the ARF.

India was meeting quietly with ASEAN to forge an alliance that would outlive its commitment to the agreement of amity and cooperation with the USSR. Bangladesh was seeking to create the South Asia Forum off which the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was born.

Bangladesh was fortunate in its birth to be the first "newly independent country" to emerge victorious in a war since the Second World War. When its viability was no longer in question recognition began to pour in quickly. In the defining moments of its history Bangladesh signed a twenty-five year treaty of amity and friendship with India and, by virtue of India's agreement with the Soviet Union, its existence was being discreetly guaranteed by a super power.

Bangladesh's stated foreign policy slogan then was "friendship to all, malice to none" in line with that of the Non Aligned Movement, a statement made with the hope to appease any unease about its alignment, particularly with the Soviet Union.

Four decades on, the time has come to re-look at the canvas and re-think the foreign policy picture from a different perspective. The country's foreign relations should reflect its maturity and move forward by formulation of a pragmatic and holistic approach that takes responsibility for changing with the times.

The art of diplomacy
In the early years of its birth Bangladesh began opening resident missions purely on diplomatic considerations. Those were heady days when representation in different capitals carried prestige and honor for a newly independent country. By mid eighties closing down many of those missions began with the pretext that they were not economically viable. The Enam Committee happily axed the strength of missions, leaving some in pitiable condition. Visionary planning to look ahead for a generation was non-existent in this exercise of trimming costs of running a mission.

Photo: AFP

What escaped the policy makers and shapers of foreign policy at the time was that diplomacy is not all about economics and cannot always be measured in tangible terms with profit and loss accounts. In diplomatic relations profit is not reaped on a yearly basis and a mission's performance cannot be audited in pure economic terms, nor can these be audited by men who have limited knowledge and understanding of diplomatic norms and best practices. Diplomacy is an art, which, when crafted and carried forward properly and with due care can sell well in economic terms.

The art can be brought to perfection when practitioners are skilled to perfection. Creating a niche requires demonstration of abilities and capacities. Economic relations do not grow in a vacuum just as diplomatic relations do not sprout out of beans. Relationships cannot be built without friendship and amity; synergies that encourage relationships to grow must exist. Commonality of interest, alas, is a hollow phrase. It must be examined and explored meaningfully if it is to help create that niche.

A cornerstone of good diplomatic relations is a sustained and meaningful exchange of bilateral visits that are balanced and results oriented. Cultural and trade delegations are important elements in a diplomatic exercise. Diplomatic relations, once established, requires careful nurturing for any benefit to accrue. Similarly, embassies once opened in foreign soil need careful and sustained nurturing for the mission to succeed. Embassies can neither be opened nor closed without very strong and justifiable reasons.

Foreign policy options in Asia
The twenty-first century began with high hopes for Bangladesh in diplomacy with pronouncement of a look east policy of its own. The attempt to look east was unfortunately short lived and haphazard. A sustained effort to carry the policy forward was missing from the very beginning. Although Bangladesh was dragging its feet on its look east policy some members of ASEAN were receptive to the idea of having Bangladesh become an associate of their organisation.

Following the ASEAN Summit held in Bali in 2003 it was friends like Indonesia who supported Bangladesh's application for a full membership in the ASEAN Regional Forum. To get into the ARF Bangladesh needed a consensus of the ten member countries. Diplomacy carried the day and Bangladesh became a full member of the ARF in 2006. The opportunity to pursue the declared look east policy needed more than mere rhetoric.

Vigourous persuasion of the policy to become associated with ASEAN in the fullest possible way needed a firm foreign policy commitment. Missions in the region needed to be strengthened and the opportunities of cooperation needed to be studied with internal policy conferences with regional heads of mission and the foreign policy makers and shapers within the country. None of that happened. The decade was thus one of lost opportunities.

Photo: AFP

Somewhat blinded by its "leadership role" within SAARC Bangladesh did not take into consideration the benefit that would accrue from a committed and strong look east policy, particularly in respect to its relations with ASEAN as a regional group and individually with its ten member countries, through pursuing a partnership with ASEAN.

Bangladesh is strategically located between South and South East Asia. It has strong relations with all countries in Asia and can become a strong and dependable partner in progress in this region provided it has a mind to do so.

Linking South and South East Asia through a highway that runs through Bangladesh is one of the best options available for Bangladesh to create a space within ASEAN. It is in the greater interest of Bangladesh that the Asian Highway runs through the heart of the country so that it can become an integral part of the greater Asian Community. ASEAN as a region would like to see progress in Bangladesh in areas of concern to their own region such as terrorism.

These need to be handled in a deft and capable manner before road linkages can create the atmosphere for greater cooperation. Domestic threats reflect badly on international screens. Correct enforcement of domestic and international laws is essential in getting others to accept Bangladesh as a reliable partner in the face of global threats, particularly in the context of cross border terrorism, and other security issues within the ARF.

There is of course a great deal of other things that can and need to be done to become aligned with ASEAN in a formal way, including signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and its associated protocols, seeking observer status in its numerous bodies, and generally ensuring that Bangladesh can be a trusted friend and partner in the security and economic progress of the region. For such an option to become viable Bangladesh does not only need good governance but a great deal more. A comprehensive and holistic approach to all its policies is essential for pursuing relations with the outside world, be that towards the east, west, north or south.

The ten ASEAN member countries together have a population of more than 500 million people and a total area of approximately 4.5 million square kilometers. It is a huge market for Bangladesh, which should and could be utilised as such with a holistic approach towards the east and a concerted effort to reap benefits from friendly relations. The ASEAN Economic Community has three principle features namely, identifying and breaking down non tariff barriers, establishing a network of free trade zones within the ASEAN that will benefit from economies of scale and become more competitive in the world market, and finally, standardisation and harmonisation of customs procedures and technical regulations. These three elements simplify doing business with members of a regional group like the ASEAN. India has signed a free trade agreement with ASEAN; Bangladesh should try to do the same. Once ASEAN members are reassured of the willingness of Bangladesh to abide by rules of the game moving its economic relations with the member countries will become much easier.

Progress in furthering relations within SAARC has been intermittent and painfully slow. December 2010 -- silver jubilee of signing of the SAARC Charter -- passed off relatively unnoticed. Its raison d'etre seems to have been lost; there was obviously no reason for celebrations or jubilation. Trade amongst SAARC member countries have not risen since the creation of SAARC, rather it has remained stagnant or even dwindled in some cases. Re-energising relations is part of a constant vigil in keeping diplomatic relations alive and afloat. Developments in resolving issues and furthering relations with India are a welcome breath of fresh air. The same must now waft further west and into Pakistan.

Options in Africa
Bangladesh is now mulling its foreign policy options in Africa. Central and Southern Africa is the new emerging continent for countries that are looking at new options, both economic and diplomatic. China's investment in Africa has overtaken that of all others. India too is having a renewed interest in Africa.

The African continent is large; unlike ASEAN, Africa does not have homogeneity of culture, language, or religion. With a wide mixture of cultures, languages, and religions Sub Saharan Africa is very different from the North where there is religious, linguistic and ethnic homogeneity. Ground realities, therefore, need to be examined by experts carefully before embarking on a new foreign policy option for Bangladesh in Africa.

Photo: AFP

First off, Bangladesh needs to acknowledge past mistakes and mend its relations with Africa. Closure of missions in Harare, Namibia, Dakar, cote d'Ivoire, Algiers, and near closure in Rabat, has left a huge dent in the trust that Africa puts in its relations with Bangladesh. It is the country's good fortune that some damage has been repaired by the valiant peacekeepers working as Bangladesh's representatives in Africa. Peace missions cannot, however, be the answer to building more structured and permanent bridges. Enhancing relations with Africa by opening new embassies and trade offices, or reopening old ones, need to be studied with a long-term perspective on a country specific as well as well as on a regional basis.

Africa is rich in resources but is Bangladesh truly ready to help Africa make good use of its resources and benefit Bangladesh as well? Is the cost of doing business with African countries commensurate with expected returns? Any engagement in Africa must be knowledge based rather than emotion based.

South America and Bangladesh
Foreign policy mistakes made in South America is similar to the ones made in Africa. Missions in Argentina and Brazil were opened and closed without making any progress in the linkages that diplomatic presence is charged to deliver. Language inhibitions greatly hampered the embassies functional capacity.

To be fair to Bangladesh's diplomatic efforts in South America, it was a continent that witnessed sky rocketing inflation, the Falkland's war, and political instability that rocked the boat of diplomacy. A new move in that direction would require an in depth cost-benefit analysis, always keeping in mind that it may take a generation to achieve results in an engagement where stakes are high.

Foreign policy for Bangladesh
Before developing a comprehensive and forward looking foreign policy for Bangladesh three key elements must be examined thoroughly. First, Bangladesh's need for a comprehensive policy on conducting foreign relations. Second, its need of a comprehensive economic policy that dovetails into the country's foreign policy. Third, its need for a social policy that truly aims at converting its human resource to skilled manpower through a well-connected educational, technical, and vocational training agenda. A cache of skilled manpower can always find its own niche in this context.

No country can make gains from its foreign policy without a basic understanding of the country's genuine needs and agreeing on a broad framework within which its foreign policy direction must be established. Chalking out sensible policies is important for the survival of a developing country. Differing political ideologies should not be allowed to hurt the country's best interest and therefore a foreign policy that is pragmatic and achievable must be endorsed by all. The basic parameters of a pragmatic foreign policy must be hammered out within the parliament by all parties represented so that no dichotomy is left for the practitioners to implement the decisions based on the overall direction given.

It requires a "need assessment" for setting priorities in the foreign policy arena for the next decades. Visionary planning for the future of the next two generations is what the leaders of today need to have on hand if they want to leave a prosperous country to posterity. Handing out written orders to ambassadors without providing the wherewithal and clear and substantial guidelines will not carry much weight.

A strong and independent foreign office, not fearful of being hit with darts from all directions, is sine quo non-for a robust foreign policy. Functional authority of implementing agencies with strong independence for Missions to work within given guidelines is a must for pursuing policies effectively. Media's haste in criticising policies is quite often detrimental to pursuing diplomacy on the quiet. It is not always in the best interest of the country that diplomacy be exposed to public glare.

Forty years on, Bangladesh still has time to craft a clear and meaningful foreign policy that will help the country make economic gains in the coming decades. Finally, changes in government must not close doors on available options jeopardising its political, diplomatic and economic interests.

Perhaps, Bangladesh can find use of a body like "amicus curiae" -- a task force formed with independent experts from different areas -- to formulate a comprehensive diplomatic-economic-social policy and create a road map for its implementation with the country's interest at the top of the agenda. The civil society must take responsibility for the task on hand and present a blue print to the public. An alliance of eminent persons from regional civil society groups headed by a resource person of international repute could perhaps be formed to give this country hope for the future.

Nasim Firdaus is a former Ambassador, and currently, executive director, Bangladesh Alliance for Women Leadership.