This study investigates the roles of media and civil society in promoting Human Rights Education (HRE) and advancing the human rights movement in Bangladesh. Employing a mixed-method research design, it draws on 36 in-depth interviews, five focus group discussions, and survey data from 383 participants in Dhaka and Chittagong. The findings reveal that while media and civil society actors contribute to HRE efforts, their impact is limited by legal restrictions, political intimidation, and shrinking civic space. The state’s regulatory environment, marked by repressive laws, surveillance, and constrained institutional autonomy, has led to widespread self-censorship, fragmentation, and weakened public engagement. This aligns with civic space theory and positions Bangladesh as a semi-authoritarian regime, where formal democratic institutions exist without enabling conditions for rights-based education. The study emphasizes the need for legal reform, media freedom, and institutional support to enable meaningful HRE and foster a more accountable and participatory human rights environment.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the development of China-Bangladesh relations over the past fifty years. It seeks to understand bilateral relations' diplomatic, economic, and strategic dimensions by examining historical trends and contemporary developments. This book carefully explores and highlights key aspects of economic partnerships, geopolitical alliances, and cultural exchanges, making it a valuable resource for scholars and policymakers. This book adopts a multi-dimensional perspective to analyze China-Bangladesh relations, combining historical narrative with political, economic, and security analysis. In contrast to traditional books that focus solely on diplomatic interactions, this book combines regional and global contexts, incorporating a broader framework. This book is intended for a wide range of academic and policy-minded readers. Scholars of international relations, South Asian studies, and Chinese foreign policy will find the theoretical insights and empirical data presented in the book valuable for their research. Policymakers and diplomats will benefit from the practical analysis of China-Bangladesh cooperation, particularly in trade, security, and regional diplomacy. Although the book is based on meticulous research, it remains accessible to the general reader interested in geopolitics and international affairs.

This chapter examines the varied aspects of China’s energy relations with the South Asian nations, excluding Pakistan, which tends to overshadow the rest of the South Asian region whenever the topic is discussed. This study argues that two-fold compulsions are driving China’s energy policy: to diversify its energy supply sources and expand its market share through industrial manufacturing, as well as to increase its geopolitical presence in a geo-strategic region. This collaboration is typically situated within the broader framework of the BRI, which focuses on infrastructure investment, specifically in power generation including coal, hydropower, and renewable energy and transmission. In the case of South Asian countries, this collaboration aims to close the perennial energy gaps, promote economic growth, and intensify ties. Research techniques commonly employed when investigating this phenomenon include qualitative case analysis of specific energy projects, comprehensive analysis of investment information, and review of governmental policy documentation by the Chinese and South Asian governments. The study findings show that Chinese energy investments have not only significantly enhanced the capacity to generate power and improve power infrastructure in countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but they have also led to concerns about unsustainable debts accrued, environmental damage, and the resultant economic dependency. In Nepal, all they have been doing is collaborating on hydropower, whereas in Afghanistan, energy transactions are being initiated amid complicated politics. Generally, China’s energy presence is transforming the energy landscapes and power dynamics in the entire region, posing both challenges and opportunities for growth, stability, and sovereignty, as well as environmental sustainability, in these South Asian countries.

Abstract Motivation Coastal environmental degradation in Bangladesh has worsened, with Cox’s Bazar as a critical hotspot. The sustainable use of marine resources is vital amid global economic pressures. Naturally prone to hazards, the region faces escalating anthropogenic pressure, which deepens risks to ecosystems and human livelihoods, emphasizing the importance of sustainable and equitable coastal resource management. Objectives This paper aims to investigate three interrelated issues: (i) the underlying reasons for the increasing vulnerability of coastal areas to environmental degradation; (ii) the specific factors contributing to ecological harm in the Cox’s Bazar coastal zone; and (iii) the human rights concerns that emerge as a consequence of such environmental degradation. Methods This study employed a qualitative research design based on 25 in-depth interviews conducted across three coastal upazilas (Chakaria, Pekua, and Kutubdia) of Cox’s Bazar district, with respondents drawn from six stakeholder groups, including vulnerable community members, government officials, NGO representatives, journalists, civil society actors, and volunteers, to ensure diverse perspectives on coastal environmental governance. Results and implications This article reveals that the intersection of politics in development projects, economic interests, ineffective deterrence, and limited public awareness of environmental regulations collectively drives environmental degradation in Cox’s Bazar, generating profound insecurities for coastal populations, most notably by undermining fundamental rights to life, health, food, and housing. The study concludes by outlining crucial implications that emphasize the roles of policymakers, NGOs, and civil society in strengthening deterrence against environmental crimes and fostering individuals' environmental awareness.

This study examines how social networks and intersecting micro- and macro-level factors shape the recruitment of human trafficking victims in Bangladesh. Based on 40 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, it explores how traffickers strategically exploit trust embedded in familial and community relationships to present trafficking as safe, legitimate migration. Grounded in social network theory and feminist perspectives on migration, the study conceptualizes recruitment as a socially embedded and gender-structured process rather than an act of overt coercion or deception. The findings reflect critical gendered variations in the factors influencing irregular migration. For men, micro-level factors include insolvency, family pressure, and personal strain, while limited opportunities, social expectations, and environmental disasters have emerged as macro-level factors in their recruitment. Conversely, women are primarily influenced by familial crises, gender inequality, and pervasive patriarchal norms, both at the micro and macro levels, limiting their agency and leading to risky migration decisions. These dynamics challenge dominant anti-trafficking frameworks that focus solely on overt coercion or deception, underscoring the need for community-embedded, gender-sensitive strategies. Overall, this research contributes to human trafficking literature by offering nuanced gendered insights into recruitment dynamics and providing several actionable policy implications.

In an incredible landscape of the coastal area of Bangladesh, Saint Martin Island and other small islands like Kutubdia, Sonadia, and Maheshkhali contribute to creating natural beauty and ecological diversity. Lying at the southern end of Cox’s Bazar district, St. Martin’s Island is the only coral island in Bangladesh (Islam & Roshid, 2018). This island is surrounded by atolls that create a unique marine habitat that has an important role as a habitat for various species of marine life and plants (Hasan, 2009), while other small islets also contribute to maintaining the marine fauna and ecological balance. In addition to their ecological significance, these islands also play a significant role in supporting the livelihoods of local communities. Fishing and, to a lesser extent, tourism are their primary sources of income. The local economy thrives, with countless tourists flocking to the island of St. Martin each year (Bhakta et al., 2010). However, the ecological balance may be disturbed without proper control over tourism activities. The small land area of these islands makes them more susceptible to natural disasters (Zaman, 2019). Coastal and ocean changes sink St. Martin and other islands even further, damaging local biodiversity, human use, and the environment (Ahmed et al., 2023).

Paper accepted for the Graduate Student Research Lightning Round: IR & Comparative, Vancouver Convention Centre, Canada.

Presented a paper titled "What explains the variation in refugee repatriation?" at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

This chapter delves into maritime powers and ocean geopolitics’ complexities through a strategic analysis focused on Bangladesh’s maritime interests and challenges. The objectives of this study are twofold: firstly, to comprehensively examine Bangladesh’s maritime capabilities and interests in the Indian Ocean region, and secondly, to analyze the geopolitical dynamics shaping Bangladesh’s maritime strategy and challenges. The primary argument of this research is that Bangladesh’s maritime domain is increasingly gaining strategic significance due to its economic potential, security implications, and regional geopolitical dynamics. The proposed hypothesis suggests that the marine capabilities of Bangladesh are closely interconnected with its national security, economic well-being, and regional impact, requiring a comprehensive comprehension of its maritime interests and obstacles. Methodologically, this research adopts a multidisciplinary approach, combining qualitative analysis of policy documents, strategic literature, and maritime security studies with interviews and surveys of key stakeholders, including government officials, naval experts, and academic scholars. Quantitative analyses of maritime trade data, naval capabilities, and geopolitical trends in the Indian Ocean region supplement the qualitative data. The findings of this study are anticipated to make a substantial contribution to the scholarly conversation on maritime power and geopolitics, specifically within the framework of Bangladesh. The findings will provide valuable insights into Bangladesh’s strategic imperatives, policy options, and challenges in harnessing its maritime potential amid evolving regional and global dynamics. Moreover, this study offers practical recommendations for policymakers, naval strategists, and stakeholders to enhance Bangladesh’s maritime capabilities, strengthen regional partnerships, and navigate geopolitical challenges effectively in the maritime domain.

Presented a paper titled "What explains the variation in return among refugees?" at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University.

International labor migration plays a crucial role in the socioeconomic development of Bangladesh by reducing unemployment and earning foreign currency for the country. Globalization has promoted female labor migration from Bangladesh to various countries on a greater scale, which was only 1 percent until 2004. Poverty and limited work opportunities for the women are the main reasons for their migration outside Bangladesh, especially to the Middle East. Remittances from Bangladeshi migrant workers are considered a major determinant of the economic development of Bangladesh over the last few decades. The whole migration process is not easy for anyone, let alone those who are illiterate and unskilled. Domestic violence, abuse of the workers’ vulnerability during recruitment, and violation of their rights to information are some common stories with them. This article explores the recruitment process of Bangladeshi female workers to the different states of the Middle East through diverse channels. It traces the reasons behind the exploitative situation of the female migrant workers aboard.

This article examines whether the four countries in South Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal, addressed gender-specific needs in their climate change-related policy documents. This study is based on secondary data, which includes books, journals, climate change, and adaptation-related policy documents. The findings of this study reveal that most of the policy documents have acknowledged that the impact of climate change has a more detrimental effect on women's lives than men's. Thus, these strategic documents are gender-neutral. However, none of the policy documents in the above-mentioned countries recognised the needs of women during natural hazards. Also, they ignored the suggestion of programmes and activities to reduce the vulnerability of women. This article argues that a gender-specific policy will be more conducive to reducing the vulnerability of women during natural hazards than a gender-neutral and gender-transformative policy. This research concludes with some policy recommendations, which are expected to help the policy-making communities in four South Asian countries formulate gender-specific climate change and adaptation policies and programmes.

This article delves into the evolving power dynamics between China and India in the South Asian region, aiming to scrutinize how their respective policies have shifted in response to emerging geopolitical rivalries. The research objective is to dissect the strategic maneuvers and policy adaptations of both nations, with a focus on understanding the implications for regional stability and power balance. Key research questions include: How have Sino-Indian relations evolved in the context of South Asian geopolitics? What are the primary drivers of their policy shifts? How do these shifts affect the smaller South Asian states? Through a comprehensive analysis of policy documents, diplomatic exchanges, and strategic initiatives, the research finds that both China and India are increasingly asserting their influence through economic investments, military presence, and diplomatic engagements. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and India’s Act East Policy are pivotal to their regional strategies. The research argues that while these policies aim to bolster their respective spheres of influence, they also exacerbate tensions and competition, thereby impacting regional alliances and economic development. The findings underscore a nuanced power rivalry where economic diplomacy, infrastructural projects, and security concerns intersect, revealing a complex interplay of cooperation and contention. This rivalry not only reshapes bilateral relations between China and India but also significantly affects the geopolitical landscape of South Asia, necessitating a reevaluation of existing regional policies and alliances.

In Bangladesh, women endure the consequences of climate change while also serving a crucial role in domestic and community-led climate change responses. Given the gender power dynamics that have developed in Bangladesh, integrating women as distinguishable actors and effective agents in climate governance remains a challenge. Bangladesh is a traditionally patriarchal society, and because of deeply ingrained gender inequalities, men dominate the family, community, and society. Most research has been conducted on women's vulnerability and victims, but only a few were conducted on how women can be change-makers. This research found that with women's contribution and equal participation, achieving effective climate governance in Bangladesh is possible. The study also discovered that the absence of women from climate governance perpetuates gender inequality and makes it more challenging to achieve sustainable development objectives. The intricate relationships between gender equality, efficient climate governance, and the more general aim of sustainable development within the context of Bangladesh are explored in this study. In light of the findings, the study argues for and puts forward policy proposals for recognizing women's active contribution as change makers and supporting gender equality as a crucial strategy in climate governance in Bangladesh.

This study investigates the pivotal role of international cooperation in advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs), drawing insights from the context of Bangladesh. This chapter delves into the pivotal role of international cooperation in advancing the SDGs, analyzing how cross-border partnerships, diplomacy, and multilateral efforts are transformative in driving sustainable development. This chapter also examines the need for coordinated global action to address shared challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty, and inequality in Bangladesh. It explores the role of international treaties, agreements, and conventions that foster collective responsibility and commitment to tackle these complex issues. The study employs a qualitative research methodology grounded in relevant theoretical frameworks, including document analysis, interviews, and case studies. Additionally, this chapter underscores the significance of financial and technological assistance provided by developed nations to support the sustainable development efforts of developing countries.

Female labor migration for livelihood is becoming a common phenomenon in migrant-sending countries. Although female workers migrate with a temporary contract for a better livelihood, they are experienced with various exploitations and difficulties while working abroad. Therefore, many female migrants returned to the country from the Middle East, and they faced enormous challenges in reintegration. Thus, this paper critically reviews the role of migration-related NGOs in the reintegration of returned female migrants in Bangladesh. It also explores the critical limitations of the NGO’s approach to this reintegration. The paper is qualitative research that includes primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews with 27 participants. The paper also employs secondary data from articles, books, and reports of migration-focused NGOs. Based on the findings from data, the paper argues that the migration-focused NGOs in Bangladesh positively impact the reintegration of Bangladeshi returned female migrants by providing economic assistance, social, psychological, and legal support to returned women, entrepreneurship training, social mobilization strategies, and grassroots-level activities. The data also show that the migration-focused NGOs in Bangladesh face challenges in the reintegration of many returned women due to the NGOs’ aid dependency, a lack of comprehensive actions, shortage of funds, required resources, lack of coordination, socioeconomic structure, stigma, and religious issues. Finally, the paper includes some policy suggestions that would be helpful for the NGO’s approach to reintegrating returned women migrants.

Among the basic needs of each person, food security and adequate nutrition are the most significant elements. In recent years, Bangladesh has achieved some remarkable progress in food security, but there remain several challenges to ensure it for all. This paper explores the significant agendas regarding food security in Bangladesh and the present scenario of the country’s food security. The present study tries to identify some sustainable strategies to ensure food security in Bangladesh, a disaster-prone country due to its geographical location where people frequently visit droughts, cyclones, and many other natural calamities. This paper also focuses on the government’s different food programs and several initiatives taken by the respective authorities to ensure food security at the national level, one of the main goals of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Bangladesh’s efforts to achieve food security are discussed here, and the National Food Security Act is also outlined. Finally, this study explains the institutional actions that can be taken to implement a policy plan to ensure food security and improved nutrition for all as a part of the National Food Security policy.

The bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and the United States has undergone significant shifts over the years, shaped by complex interactions between democratic ideals, human rights concerns, and geopolitical interests. This study examines the multifaceted dynamics of Bangladesh-US relations, focusing on analyzing the extent to which US foreign policy prioritizes democracy, human rights, and geopolitical considerations. The study draws upon a comprehensive literature review of scholarly works, official documents, and expert analyses related to the historical context and critical milestones in Bangladesh-US relations. The present study employs a mixed-methods technique to incorporate qualitative data, which contributes to a comprehensive comprehension of the intricate aspects that shape United States foreign policy choices concerning Bangladesh. Using case studies and examining policy initiatives, this analysis assesses the concrete results of democracy and human rights measures, elucidating their influence on the bilateral relationship. Furthermore, the research explores the role of geopolitical considerations in shaping US engagement with Bangladesh. This analysis aims to evaluate the tangible outcomes of democracy and human rights measures by employing case studies and analyzing policy efforts. Through this approach, the study seeks to shed light on the impact of these measures on the bilateral relationship. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the Bangladesh-US relationship, seeking to establish whether the US foreign policy strikes a delicate balance between promoting democracy and human rights while addressing its geopolitical interests.

This paper comprehensively examines the diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and the United States over five decades, tracing the evolution from wartime hostility to establishing a flourishing development partnership. The research investigates the historical, political, economic, and social factors influencing the bilateral relationship between the two nations. Through a thorough analysis of key events, policy shifts, and diplomatic interactions, this study aims to shed light on transforming from adversarial relations to a collaborative partnership focused on sustainable development. Additionally, the research explores the implications of this development partnership for both countries and the broader international community. This comprehensive research provides valuable insights into the complexities of international diplomacy and development cooperation, focusing on the evolution of Bangladesh-US relations from a period of hostility to a fruitful development partnership. The study also highlights the potential impact of such partnerships in addressing global challenges and achieving sustainable development goals, making it a valuable resource for policymakers and researchers interested ininternational relations and diplomacy.

The Rohingya ethnic Muslim minority group in Myanmar has been subjected to various forms of persecution and state-led violence since 1978. Myanmar authority forced Rohingya people several times to flee from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Consequently, Bangladesh authority has had to provide shelter to these oppressed people at different times. However, the pressure on local host community of Bangladesh for sheltering Rohingya refugees tends to be apparent, particularly since the massive influx of August 2017. Local communities are confronting different socio-economic, environmental and security challenges due to the protracted Rohingya refugee presence in Bangladesh. Therefore, the relations between the host community people and Rohingya refugees have been changing over the years. Thus, this chapter aims to explore the dynamics of the social challenges and problems that host community people face due to the presence of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. It also explores the perceptions of local community people toward Rohingyas while facing different kinds of social problems and challenges. The chapter is based on empirical research using primary and secondary data. Findings and discussion have based on interpretative thematic analysis of in-depth interviews of different categories of participants in the refugee-hosting Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. This chapter argues that the relations between locals and Rohingyas are deteriorating, and the host community people’s perceptions toward Rohingyas are getting worse day by day due to facing different kinds of challenges like social assimilation, degradation of societal values, breakdown of social relationships, unemployment and livelihood challenges, and education and health-related challenges. The chapter will contribute to the literature by adding a new understanding of the relations between host community people and Rohingya refugees and policy suggestions in this regard.

The Rohingya ethnic Muslim minority group in Myanmar has been subjected to various forms of persecution and state-led violence since 1978. Myanmar authority forced Rohingya people several times to flee from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Consequently, Bangladesh authority has had to provide shelter to these oppressed people at different times. However, the pressure on local host community of Bangladesh for sheltering Rohingya refugees tends to be apparent, particularly since the massive influx of August 2017. Local communities are confronting different socio-economic, environmental and security challenges due to the protracted Rohingya refugee presence in Bangladesh. Therefore, the relations between the host community people and Rohingya refugees have been changing over the years. Thus, this chapter aims to explore the dynamics of the social challenges and problems that host community people face due to the presence of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. It also explores the perceptions of local community people toward Rohingyas while facing different kinds of social problems and challenges. The chapter is based on empirical research using primary and secondary data. Findings and discussion have based on interpretative thematic analysis of in-depth interviews of different categories of participants in the refugee-hosting Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. This chapter argues that the relations between locals and Rohingyas are deteriorating, and the host community people’s perceptions toward Rohingyas are getting worse day by day due to facing different kinds of challenges like social assimilation, degradation of societal values, breakdown of social relationships, unemployment and livelihood challenges, and education and health-related challenges. The chapter will contribute to the literature by adding a new understanding of the relations between host community people and Rohingya refugees and policy suggestions in this regard.

The world is in recession, Covid-19 and the Ukraine Crisis are two important events that have made the world economy worse. The World Bank predicts an increased risk of a global recession in 2023. A recession will impact many aspects of life, including the military. This is reasonable because efforts to overcome them are prioritized in the main sectors. Something is fascinating about Southeast Asia, namely that its military expenditure has increased. Why did Southeast Asia's military expenditure increase during a recession? This pattern of contradic- tion is not only important but also interesting to study. Using qualitative methods with data analysis techniques, and borrowing a structural realism approach, it is found that the in- creasing competition between the U.S.A. and China has triggered an increase in military ex- penditure in the region. At the same time conflicts and potential conflicts between countries in the Southeast Asian region, although not directly, are permanent causes. The recession does not seem to affect efficiency in military expenditure, this shows that tensions in Southeast Asia is a priority of countries in the region. These findings close a gap in previous studies which were relatively dominated by efforts to link military expenditure to economic growth using quantitative methods.

The present book titled 'Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's Vision for Self- Reliant India of 21st Century' examines, explores and portrays Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar's vision for self-reliant India. This book comprises twenty-four research-based articles by distinguished teachers and eminent scholars throwing abundant light on the various aspects of Dr. Ambedkar's personality and his spectacular contribution to the social, political, and economic development of India. Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar's role in establishing political, social, and economic justice has earned him undying glory and iconic status. The chief aim of his ideology is to forge national unity and fraternal relationships amongst the people, and his vision of social and political justice is based on realism, facts, and reason. He wanted to bring about a complete transformation in the Indian society. He was very much aware that the millions of people in the country were deprived of even basic human rights. He struggled throughout his life to secure human rights. He started a strong movement against unjust social order. His three principles of liberty, equality and fraternity are enshrined in the Constitution of India, giving equal opportunity to all citizens.

The Migration Conference 2023, Hamburg, Germany.

Environmental Education is very vital to reaching the agenda of Sustainable Development Goals. However, a lack of environmental awareness and gaps in theoretical knowledge and its practices still exists in Bangladesh. Therefore, this research aims to understand the students' perceptions of whether and how their behavior is environment-friendly to achieve sustainable development goals. It also addresses teachers' perceptions of what are the shortcomings of environmental education in Bangladesh. It uses qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques based on in-depth interviews, surveys among different categories of participants, and classroom observation. The article finds that the level of Environmental Education and students' awareness of the environment is inadequate. Some teachers believe that Environmental Education is not better in Bangladesh due to the absence of practical learning of Environmental Education, lack of motivations and actions, institutional weakness, inadequate policies, poor implementation, and cultural and traditional beliefs. Thus, this article argues that Bangladeshi Environmental Education is insufficient to change the students' behavior towards the environment, making it difficult for the country to ensure Sustainable Development.

This research aimed to examine the role of female entrepreneurship in female empowerment in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The study examined the link between women's business and women's social empowerment. A total of 160 respondents were interviewed throughout the first data-gathering phase (80 nonenterprise homemakers and 80 enterprise housewives). According to this study's conclusions, entrepreneurship significantly influences women's ability to make choices in their families, notably at home. Additionally, this study discovered that businesswomen had greater control over their resources and assets than non-businesswomen (homemakers). They also have more social mobility, political involvement, and a say in their home and family's health than women who do not work. On the other hand, women who do not work in the business have less knowledge and awareness about climate change, disaster management, and women's rights than those who do. According to the research findings, having rapid access to a paid loan with favorable terms and conditioUpdate Journal Title: Authors: Publication Type: Book: Publisher(Optional): Page(Optional): Book Link(Optional): Month(Optional): Year: Description(Optional): Cancel Bangladesh-China Relations: From War-time Hostility to Strategic Partnership Dr. Sujit Kumar Datta October 2022; The KRF Center for Bangladesh and Global Affairs; Journal of Bangladesh and Global Affairs; page: 99-112 The paper asserts that ties between Bangladesh and China have evolved from a state of wartime hostility to a strategic partnership. The political, economic, and military links between Bangladesh and China have been excellent for both countries over the last two decades. The people of these two countries have a long history of friendship and cooperation that dates back hundreds of years. Since Bangladesh and China established diplomatic relations in the mid-1970s, the two nations’ connections have only strengthened and expanded. China has signed many agreements with Bangladesh as a development partner, ranging from agriculture to trade, infrastructure, energy, science and technology, and military cooperation. This paper argues that Sino-Indian rival relations and other external factors have transformed Bangladesh-China relations from 1971 to 2022. The above Information is published. Afghanistan: The New Hotspot of South Asian Geo-Strategic Competitionns is critical to a business's success. More research should be done in Chittagong, Bangladesh, where household women's income is significant for social and economic growth. Keywords: Empowerment, Entrepreneur, Bangladesh, Development, Decision Making, SDGs.

Purpose The shipbreaking sector in Bangladesh has spurred extensive academic and policy debates on relations between shipbreaking industries, environmental degradation and the health security of their workers. As shipbreaking is an economically significant industry in Bangladesh, it needs to implement both domestic and global mechanisms for environmental conservation and the protection of the labourers’ health from environmental risks. The purpose of this paper is to primarily explore the environmental and health security issues in shipbreaking activities in Bangladesh. It also identifies the challenges in implementing the rules and regulations for protecting the health of the workers at shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh and preserving the marine environment. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative paper based on secondary materials, including journal articles, books and national and international reports. It critically reviews the existing literature, rules, regulations and policing on shipbreaking with a particular focus on the environment and health security of the workers. Findings This paper finds that the implementation of the rules and regulations in shipbreaking in Bangladesh is complicated because of weak implementation mechanisms, political and economic interests of the yard owners, lack of coordination among different agencies, lack of adequate training and awareness among the workers and workers’ poor economic condition, which contribute to the degradation of marine and local environments and trigger health hazards among the workers. Therefore, degrading the environment and undermining occupational health and safety regulations have become regular; thus, accidental death and injury to the workers are common in this sector. Originality/value This paper is an important study on the issues of workers' health and safety and environmental hazards in the shipyard. It reports how the health security of the workers in shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh is vulnerable, and environmental rules are challenged. Finally, this paper frames some policy implications to safeguard the workers’ health rights and the marine environment.

The paper asserts that ties between Bangladesh and China have evolved from a state of wartime hostility to a strategic partnership. The political, economic, and military links between Bangladesh and China have been excellent for both countries over the last two decades. The people of these two countries have a long history of friendship and cooperation that dates back hundreds of years. Since Bangladesh and China established diplomatic relations in the mid-1970s, the two nations’ connections have only strengthened and expanded. China has signed many agreements with Bangladesh as a development partner, ranging from agriculture to trade, infrastructure, energy, science and technology, and military cooperation. This paper argues that Sino-Indian rival relations and other external factors have transformed Bangladesh-China relations from 1971 to 2022.

Abstract Motivation Human rights non-government organizations (HR NGOs) play a significant role in the protection and promotion of human rights, particularly in the global South. In Bangladesh, human rights violations are a major concern. The government’s approach to helping victims of abuses and upholding human rights has become contentious. Therefore, in this context, NGOs’ approach to and activism in helping victims, public education, and putting pressure on the government to uphold human rights have been considered vital. Purpose The article evaluates and explores the key challenges HR NGOs in Bangladesh face in safeguarding human rights. Methods and approach For this qualitative study, primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with 25 human rights activists, victims of human rights violations and their family members, journalists, NGO officials, and academics. The 25 participants were selected on the basis of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Findings The findings suggest that the overall role of HR NGOs in Bangladesh is dubious. The HR NGOs in Bangladesh cannot play an effective role in promoting human rights, and the government’s role and responsibility to help victims and safeguard human rights is not upheld. Bangladesh’s government tries to limit the function of human rights groups. The key challenges faced by HR NGOs include the ruling elite’s intervention in their activities, the government’s oppression and harassment of NGO officials, the country’s culture of impunity, NGOs’ dependence on foreign donations, restrictive laws used to control the growth of HR NGOs, the HR NGOs’ financial condition and political interest, and the ineffectiveness of human rights institutions in Bangladesh. These challenges restrict the growth of the HR NGOs in the country and result in their poor performance. However, although their role and influence is limited due to the many forms of government control and oppression, HR NGOs appear to be more active than the government in upholding human rights. Policy implications The collective efforts of the HR NGOs, civil society, the government, and general citizens are crucial to protect and support human rights. HR NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), journalists, and the general public should not remain silent on gross violations of human rights, but should make the utmost effort to encourage citizens to break the culture of impunity and raise their voices against human rights abuses. In this regard, citizens need to understand the concept of human rights. The state’s co-operation in protecting human rights is critical, as the fundamental duty of the state is to ensure the rights of its citizens. Human rights NGOs should monitor human rights situations, help victims of violations, and engage in popular education. The voices of HR NGOs and CSOs should be neutral and united in order to exert enough pressure on the government to change its behaviour regarding human rights. In addition, the judiciary, NHRC, and ACC should play an active role in ensuring equality and justice.

This article explores the reasons for human rights abuses in policing practices in Bangladesh. Following human rights practices in policing is challenging as Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies are involved in various forms of human rights violations. This study used mixed-methods research approach to enlighten the understanding of human rights violations in Bangladesh. In-depth interviews of 40 participants and survey responses obtained from 350 valid samples were considered for analysis. Thematic content analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used to identify the key factors influencing human rights violations in policing. The empirical findings indicated that human rights violations in policing are influenced by three key factors: corruption, a culture of impunity, and the militarization of policing. These factors are correlated, their relationship is dynamic, and their combination results in human rights abuse in policing practices in Bangladesh. Finally, the article suggests some policy measures including the de-militarization and de-politicization of law enforcement agencies, breaking the culture of impunity, and eradicating corruption. However, major political, social, legal, and institutional reforms and the development of the human rights movement are needed for implementing these measures.

This article explores the role of reserved-seat women members of the Union Parishad, the lowest unit of local government in Bangladesh. The number of women representatives has increased manifold over the years, most of whom are elected from reserved seats. Formally, a reserved-seat member has a larger constituency than a general seat member; and enjoys almost similar powers and responsibilities. In practice, there remains a major gap between what the rules say and what transpires on the ground. Notwithstanding their increased presence, women elected from reserved seats to the Union Parishad, often find it difficult to make their presence felt and are ignored, especially by their male colleagues, for several reasons. This article identifies those reasons and argues that women’s increased presence is a necessary but not a sufficient condition of empowerment. Legitimacy gained through winning elections …

The course of life in before COVID-19 is gradually coming in landscape of memories as pandemic has already touched and transformed each and every aspect of life in global scenarios as integrated perspective of regional facts, events and process. So, we cannot confine in the pandemic situation but we have to analyze the abridged situation and understand problems of transformation and make effort to solve the problems with probing the roots and causes. Here a compact team effort has been made by the editors as well as the contributors across international and international boundary beyond any core disciplinary area. Existence of the Mankind on the Earth remains as confluence of society, culture and civilization commenced its journey since 5 Lac years in South Asia. Regular coherences in tradition and culture among the countries of this region are continuing in spite of their geopolitical and ethnic differences. Experiences, expressions, influences and impressions create eternal chorus and tuned in to cultural heritage. Communications among people over the time promote heritage to conglomerate in civilization. Language as vehicle of culture carries, connect and refracted ideas transcend the barriers of unlimited obstacles of disparities. The first significant move in regard to protect the cultural heritage was dates back to 1954 when UNSECOs organized a ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property’ aimed to conserve and preserve the monuments and art works. However, there is an ongoing debate over the use of the term ‘Cultural Property’ (Prott 1989). Scholars argued that, use of the term ‘Cultural Property’ is linked with the legal framework (Prott and O’Keefe 1992) and may not appropriate to achieve the social and traditional values associated with the culture and separate its access and control from original ownership. Further, using of the term is often promoting the idea of ‘commoditization of cultural artifacts’. Against this notion, scholars argued that, there are many more cultural heritages or tradition which are practice or expressed as intangible culture. According to UNESCO, there are several categories of cultural heritage-Tangible cultural heritage, Movable cultural heritage (painting, sculptures, coins, and manuscripts), underwater cultural heritage (shipwrecks, underwater ruins and cities), Intangible cultural heritage (oral tradition, performing arts, rituals). Intangible cultural heritage includes all forms of traditional and popular folk culture. These heritages are also including landscape, sacred groves, oral tradition, ethno music, ceremony and rituals, which are anthropologically more significant as these are wholly practices in a particular culture by a particular ethnic group. South Asia exists on a highly valuable historic and geopolitical location covering the nations Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and parts of adjacent states reflect continuous network of cultural rubric. Currently south Asia contains 7.8 percent sites of the World Heritage List belong to the one-fifth of the world's population. The cultural heritage of South Asia can be traced from the twenty five Lac year’s old stone tools like Potwar plateau is continued to Bronze Age culture of Indus valley civilization via the Neolithic sites of Mehrgarh. Rehman Dheri represents held the largest Bronze Age culture of world having credits of uniformity of script, ceramics, town planning and weights. This region has enriched with a series of chalcolithic sites like Inamgaon of Maharastra, Hastinapur of Gangetic plain bear the world heritage. The entire area evolved through consequences of Geo-political tensions, orientations with their regional uniqueness. UNESCO's 1972 World Heritage Convention represents the region's most important means of protecting a limited number of sites illustrating its unique cultural heritage. Pandemic COVID 19 is a severe threat to all aspects of human civilization, people through their entire capacities are making endeavors to protect cultural heritage. Artists, scholars, and other benevolent group fight against COVID 19 with ideas, values and knowledge from cultural heritage. The book has been edited with basically three aims: i) To accumulate varies dimensions, thoughts and ideas related to cultural heritage for providing clear visions to the researchers, policy makers, emerging professional field like tourism. ii) To focus the enormous scope of hidden treasures, bring the different categories of people relocate resources and their proper utilization iii) To examine status and role of cultural heritage to understanding challenges, potentialities of combating and keep forward our traditions on the way of progress. In general the volume will play heuristic role to bring interest of scholars, critics, columnists and amateurs of core as well as interdisciplinary field area. The articles have come from research and study area of several disciplines like anthropology, ethnography, ethnology, education, history, archaeology, indology, religions, political sciences, human geography, folk-cultures, language, sociology, performing arts, mass communications, journalism, international relations and diplomacy. The entire volume has been realized in five major interconnected sections. Respective sections are Situating Man in Cultural Heritage during Pandemic, Challenges of Cultural Heritage during COVID-19, Indigenous people and Cultural Heritage on the verge of COVID-19, Economy, Health and International Relationships, and lastly, Future and Prospects of Cultural Heritage in Post COVID World. Earlier sections create perspective to understand the later. Basic know how of people of South East Asia in terms of ethnic identity, mosaic nature, geopolitical location. The studies represent sections of indigenous population of focused geographical area along with modern people of megacities, in perspectives of society, religion, polity, economy and international relationship and role of UN agencies. Importance of both cultural heritages like tangible and intangible are discussed in reference to main area. Cultural heritage of north east to southern, eastern to northern, central part of India are discussed. The scholars of more than five nations from interdisciplinary and recent most emerging research areas have contributed in many controversial and burning problems.

At the Department of International Relations, the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

The right of ethnic minorities, particularly those of the Rohingyas, have been continually and repeatedly denied in Myanmar. When Aung San Suu Kyi’s party came into power, the right of various ethnic groups, especially the rights of Rohingyas during Suu Kyi’s regime were violated. Unfortunately, the conditions for the Rohingya have continued to worsen. The findings of this research show that the human rights of Rohingya in Myanmar were challenged during Aung San Suu Kyi’s so-called democratic regime via ethnic cleansing owing to the absence of real democratic norms, unequal treatment, and state-sponsored violations of human rights against the Rohingya community. The key reasons behind the failure to ensure the rights of the ethnic Muslim minority include militarism in the democratic structure, a lack of democratic institutions, international politics and the interest of powerful countries, a lack of democratic culture, and an aggressive attitude towards the Rohingya. Finally, the paper proposes some policy implications.

Abstract: Emotions are integral to human mobility. However, research on the expression of emotions in the letters of early immigrants is often neglected. This study on emotional expressions in early Norwegian-American immigrant letters, exchanged between 1838 and 1848, is a case in point. This article explores the dynamics in emotional expressions in the early letters of Norwegian-American immigrants. It shows how immigrants expressed their emotions in the letters addressed to their family members, neighbours and friends. This article also investigates the presence of emotional calls in the immigrant letters, which successfully pulled more people from Norway to America. Unlike many other early immigrant groups, Norwegian immigrants in America were satisfied with their migration experience and expressed more positive emotions in their home-going letters than negative ones. Considering the lack of research on the emotional aspects of migration, this paper recommends conducting more studies on this area.

The purposes of this paper are to search why and how Sino-Indian relations in South Asia will transform into the post COVID era. When two big neighboring countries of comparable national power are vying for influence in South Asia and strategic space, competition is bound to occur. Geographically, India is supposed to be a South Asian provincial supremacy, but a nearer appearance exposes it in an unfavorable location vis-à-vis China in that region. The most crucial factor is that the Indian government does not have more of the political, financial, and martial capabilities to track the South Asian regional power determinations than their neighbor's for the long run. So, all the South Asian small states could continuously show China to balance India's effect in their countries. However, these disagreements have evolved from confrontation to the mixed elements of competition and cooperation in the current period. Sino-Indian relations in South Asia have undergone a transformation with momentum toward collaboration on several South Asian regional issues over the last two decades. With Chinese inspiration in the South Asian region is rising day by day, it is vital that India not fall behindhand in the South Asian area but preserve a stable dominance in that region. In brief, this paper will articulate the construction of a valuable analytical outline for the investigation of the transformation of the Sino-Indian relationship in South Asia in the post COVID era, revealing the importance of external factors in influencing Sino-Indian bilateral and multilateral interactions throughout the adjustment of the order of their political and strategic preferences.

This paper aims to identify the geographically important position of Afghanistan and how it has become a geopolitical battlefield in South Asia. The geographically crucial position of Afghanistan inside the South Asian region has turned it into a battlefield of geopolitics. Further, the geographical circumstance and geographical additives of a rustic can make it tough and weak because of an internal policy. For example, India has a dangerous conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir, and China over Ladakh. On the other hand, China and Pakistan will work together in a mutual agreement even in such a changing situation as USA although they withdraw troops from Afghanistan cornering Afghan troops, and the Taliban's advance. Besides, Geopolitical considerations have been behind the invasion of the Persian Empire, Alexander's Campaign, Genghis Khan's attack, the British war, the invasion of the Soviet Union, and the presence of the Americans. It was joined by South Asian regional powers, Pakistan and India in the 20th century and directly and indirectly, these two countries have influenced Afghanistan. Thus, to complete this study, the researcher has used secondary data. Descriptive and exploratory activities have been also conducted by interviewing and discussing with experts in this field. Finally, this paper tried to analyze the role of China, India and Pakistan toward Afghanistan in the South Asian political context.

Purpose – This paper focuses on COVID-19 and human rights in the Global South. Controlling COVID-19 has become very challenging to the courtiers in the Global South and the Global North. Various restrictive measures, mainly lockdown, home quarantine, travel restrictions, and social distancing have been taken in both Global North and South to control COVID-19. However, the lower-middle and poor class people of the Global South have suffered from these restrictive measures. Thus, this paper aims to explore the human rights issues of the global South during COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach – This study is qualitative research based on secondary materials. It includes relevant scholarly articles, news reports, and various reports from different national and international organizations. It critically reviews the current literature related to the topic to develop a theoretical understanding of human rights and public health in general and human rights challenges in COVID-19 in the Global South in particular. Existing international human rights principles in the case of public health were reviewed and discussed to identify the links between human rights laws in public health perspectives. Contents analysis was carried out to identify the relevant themes on the issues of human rights in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings – This paper finds that universal guidelines to control COVID-19 challenged the human rights norms, which impacts the enjoyment of human rights in the Global South. The human rights of the people in the Global South were undermined in the response to the control of COVID-19. Originality/value – This paper is a significant study on the issues of human rights in public health emergencies. It addresses how the human rights of the vulnerable people in the Global South are undermined in the global pandemic response, which can be useful for the countries in the Global South for ensuring better human rights-based responses in the future.

The global education system has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Observing the global pandemic scenario, all academic institutions have been shut down from 18th March 2020 until l3th September 2021 in Bangladesh. To resolve this matter, the government took the initiative to move whole education systems and their practices online without physically reopening the system. This research investigates the problems and possibilities of online education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by qualitative and quantitative techniques. The results of this study found that the education system is under threat due to the aggravating situation of COVID-19. This chapter outlines several initiatives toward rising online education in Bangladesh during and post COVID-19, which finally describes the progress made in the primary to the higher education system. The chapter discussed various aspects of online education practices in Bangladesh and their multiple developmental activities to make these online education practices more realistic and sustainable.

The impact of global political actors on vaccine diplomacy and vaccine nationalism will be discussed in depth in this research study. First, vaccine pulls in developed countries long before vaccines were discovered and manufactured. Second, vaccine diplomacy and nationalism have emerged as a new tool for safeguarding inter-state relations; it is a weapon for extending imperialism in contemporary international politics. As a result, many governments have competed to announce vaccine gifts or advance supplies to other countries to sway public opinion while failing to meet their needs. For example, the Seram Institute of India failed to produce the promised vaccine due to the severe corona infection and complete failure of the death-oxygen-health system in India. As a result, 1.3 million people out of 3.5 million who received the first dose could receive the second dose. Bangladesh's government has stepped up diplomatic efforts outside India to gather and manufacture vaccines with Russia and China. Furthermore, Bangladesh's government is stepping up diplomatic attempts to obtain vaccines from the USA, Japan, and the UK. Finally, this study will examine how vaccine diplomacy and vaccine nationalism work in Bangladesh regarding vaccine collection.

This article explores the role of reserved-seat women members of the Union Parishad, the lowest unit of local government in Bangladesh. The number of women representatives has increased manifold over the years, most of whom are elected from reserved seats. Formally, a reserved-seat member has a larger constituency than a general seat member; and enjoys almost similar powers and responsibilities. In practice, there remains a major gap between what the rules say and what transpires on the ground. Notwithstanding their increased presence, women elected from reserved seats to the Union Parishad, often find it difficult to make their presence felt and are ignored, especially by their male colleagues, for several reasons. This article identifies those reasons and argues that women’s increased presence is a necessary but not a sufficient condition of empowerment. Legitimacy gained through winning elections in a competitive process and the willingness of the elected women to get things done in an adversarial situation can be considered important steps towards empowerment. Nonetheless, more is needed, especially organised support from outside, to enhance empowerment and make it sustainable.

At the United Nations Millennium Summit hosted by the United Nations in 2000, the United Nations member states agreed to work together on a shared responsibility to build a peaceful, prosperous, and just world. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with eight goals were adopted. Specific indicators of progress measurement and specific targets are set to meet the targets. The MDGs had eight goals: poverty alleviation, education, gender equality, women's empowerment, child and maternal health protection, reduction of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases ensuring safe water and sewerage facilities, global partners for environmental sustainability and development. A high-level plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly in 2010 to review the MDGs focused on new ideas for advancing the UN development agenda beyond 2015 (Blanchfield, L., & Lawson, M. L. 2010). All Heads of State agree that the United Nations is the only organized, integrated, and good platform where governments, civil society, international organizations, researchers, sociologists, non-governmental organizations, business organizations, women's organizations, and women's movement representatives interact, can catch, can argue. This is the beginning of the new post-2015 development idea known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UN Development Group held 11 national consultation meetings in more than 70 countries worldwide to set post-2015 development goals (Kumar, S., Kumar, N., & Vivekadhish, S. 2016). Topics to be discussed include disparities, health, the process of concern, dispute, growth, jobs, environmental sustainability, famine, nourishment, food security, people, energy and water resources. In 2013, UNDP published a report entitled 'A Million Voice: The World We Want. These views were obtained through the participation of 10.3 million people in 194 countries of the United Nations. It has been reflected in the post-2015 development agenda. In September 2014, Sam Questa, President of the United Nations General Assembly, stated that about one billion people in the world now live-in poverty (Castañeda, A., Doan, D., Newhouse, et. all. (2018).

Bangladesh is an environmentally vulnerable country, where environmental crimes are massive and common. However, the environmental crime prevention mechanism in the country is very weak, and traditional policing is utilized to stop these crimes. Therefore, the green criminological approach to prevent environmental crimes in Bangladesh is underdeveloped in many ways, with a total absence of the green policing model. Hence, this study focuses on attaining a critical understanding of environmental crimes in Bangladesh by exploring the key underlying factors of environmental crimes. It also attempts to contribute to the environmental crime prevention mechanism by recommending a green policing model, while identifying the key weaknesses of the existing environmental crime prevention approach. This article implements the qualitative technique of data collection, and the analysis is based on an in-depth interview of 25 respondents, belonging to different categories of stakeholders, and participant observation. It also analyses the content of newspapers to understand the patterns of environmental crimes in Bangladesh. This article finds that environmental crimes are propagated by several political, economic, institutional, and social elements, such as the political affiliation of criminals, economic profit from natural resources, absence of institutional collaboration, and lack of social consciousness. The issue has become further aggravated due to the weakness of the crime prevention mechanism. Thus, the findings of this study suggest that environmental crimes in Bangladesh should be considered and understood from green criminological perspectives and the development of a green policing model would be effective in reducing environmental crimes in the country.

Liberal democracy and human rights are interlinked. However, the human rights of Rohingya are openly neglected in Myanmar's democratic process under Aung San Suu Kyi. This paper focuses on state-sponsored comprehensive human rights abuses of Rohingya in Myanmar when the country has returned to official democracy in 2015. Studies on state sponsored human rights violation of Rohingya in Myanmar remains limited to few topics. Existing studies does not focus adequately on the links between democracy and human rights violations of Rohingya in Myanmar. This paper argues that the human rights of Rohingya in Myanmar are regularly abused due to the ineffectiveness of the human rights institutions, absence of democratic culture and minority rights, and militarism in Myanmar's democracy. Therefore, concerned stakeholders should rethink making relations between Myanmar's style of democracy and human rights and find out alternative ways to ensure the human rights of Rohingya in Myanmar.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has spread rapidly from China to the rest of the world without regard to any geographic border. It has affected people of both the developed and underdeveloped countries alike. In this pandemic situation, it is essential to understand the message carried for the developed countries of the Global North and the underdeveloped countries of the Global South. This paper surveys its effects and the response it has attracted, The COVID-19 crisis has created one more division between the Global North and the Global South.

This research aims to explain a vision of strategic triangle cooperation among Bangladesh, China, and India from the Bangladeshi perspective. The purpose of this study is to propose a new paradigm of cooperation among the three participating countries, which would lead to mutual benefits and a win-win situation as opposed to the widely- held belief of geopolitical balance of power or rivalry between two major Asian powers- China and India. A “triangular relationship” may be understood as a sort of transactional game among three variable players. Geographically, Bangladesh is surrounded by India on three sides and also has a short land boundary with Myanmar. Thus, Bangladesh is one of the most influential triangle variable players in South Asian in geopolitics. It is quite appreciable that the Government of Bangladesh has already adopted a balanced foreign policy. In its constitutional principle, it has adopted the ‘friendship to all, malice to none.’ Bangladesh is applying that policy on national interest and contributing to maintaining the balance of power in South Asia. This paper will determine the options and implications for Bangladesh in this triangular cooperation and the main institutional factors for implementing strategic partnership in China-India relations.

Abstract: This article examines the relations between national interest and norms by tracing the views of the United States toward non-refoulement from 1945 to 1951. Using a constructivist approach, this article rejects a widely held assumption that national interest and norms are constraints to each other, and argues that national interest and norms constitute and shape each other. This article demonstrates that securitization of forced migration in a wider US national interest did not undermine non-refoulement norms during the early Cold War period, in contrast to the securitization of forced migration for narrow domestic national interest that advocated forceful repatriation of refugees and asylum seekers to the country of persecution. Studying the role of non-state actors, this article suggests that civil societies within the United States exerted influence on the Congress and the Truman administration to shape the US attitudes to non-refoulement, while intergovernmental and international organizations failed to exert an independent influence on the US national interests and contribute to the development of non-refoulement as a new norm.

At The 18th IMISCOE Annual Conference on “Crossing borders, connecting cultures, hosted by Luxembourg University.

At the Migration Conference 2021 (online). Abstract accepted but I was unable to present at it.

China’s rapid engagement in the 21st Century international political arena and its growing influence is progressing tremendously. It’s Belt and Road Initiative [BRI, originally One Belt One Road (OBOR)] is a strategic vision that is meant to influence investment through connectivity. The BRI is a global development strategy proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September-October 2013 that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between countries in Europe and Asia. It is estimated that the OBOR initiative will cover two-thirds of the world’s population and one-third of global GDP. The multi-trillion-dollar project has two components: the Silk Route Economic Belt (SREB) and the Maritime Silk Road (MSR). The SREB, comprising 136 countries, focuses on uniting Asia and Europe, connecting China with the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean through West Asia, and connecting Southeast Asia with South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

The purpose of this paper is to search why and how the world will face panic and uncertainty after the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The idea of stability in the global political and economic order has already been challenged because of the coronavirus pandemic situation in the whole world. On the other hand, present superpower the United States, by this time, has failed to control this pandemic situation in her territory as well as all over the world. Overall, this paper ultimately explores the prospects of the United States as a world superpower and the possibility of China being the next superpower. In brief, this article has achieved the construction of a valuable analytical outline for the investigation to identify the areas of panic and uncertainty of the transformation of the present world order after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract: After experiencing overseas migration, Bangladeshi international migrants have started to migrate with their families to urban and suburban areas in Bangladesh. While experts have focused on international and internal migration separately, this study aims to explore the role that international migration and foreign remittances play in the internal migration of international migrants’ families to particular suburban areas in their country of origin. This study is significant because it helps to understand the effect of international migration and remittances on migrants and their families. This qualitative research is based on sixteen in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of international migrants who have resettled their families in two suburban areas, Mohara and Kamalpara, both located in the Chattogram district of Bangladesh. The study reports that Gulf State migrants, known as Dubaiwala, originally from migration-intensive villages are found investing foreign financial remittances in business and housing sectors and relocating their families to the two study areas. This research also shows that the adjustment and lives of Dubaiwala families in the new environment are influenced by social remittances that migrants bring from abroad in the form of ideas, skills, behaviors, and technologies.

Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country to face the Rohingya crisis since the late 1970s and it is a continuous disturbing issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar that affecting their bilateral relations. But, in 2017, the last persecution against the Rohingyas in Myanmar have forced more than half a million people to flee into Bangladesh who are still living here creating various problems for the local community as well as for the whole country. This chapter aims to focus on the socio-political impacts of Rohingya crisis on Bangladesh as now more than one million Rohingya people are staying in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar district and also as unregistered refugees. This study analyzes secondary sources by using qualitative method to present different social and political impacts of this long-standing crisis on Bangladesh such as increasing of trafficking, criminal activities, prostitution and other illegitimate works in the local areas which have a bad impact on the whole country. It also analyzes the recent vulnerable situation of local host communities regarding this crisis.

This paper argues for a broader emphasis on Women empowerment to ensure sustainable development goals in Bangladesh in the post-COVID-19 pandemic. Women's empowerment and sustainable development is an essential topic in national and international context. In a patriarchal society, it is thought that there is no need for women's views on family, socio-economic and political issues. Due to various social neglects, women's political and economic rights have not yet been established in the desired way. In the context of Bangladesh, it will be possible to achieve the Vision-2021 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-2030 by eliminating gender inequality and empowering women. There is no alternative to women's empowerment to ensure sustainable development. The main obstacles to women's empowerment are patriarchal attitudes and narrow-mindedness. Women's development and empowerment means guaranteeing the ability of women to make independent and sovereign decisions by empowering them in the personal, family, social and political spheres, protecting individual rights and state and social universality. Although a third-world country, Bangladesh is now a role model for the world in many areas, including socio-economic progress. In all the countries in the world where (Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, Finland, Bangladesh, and Taiwan) have shown comparative efficiency in preventing the ongoing global epidemic, women have the responsibility of the head of state or head of government. Without meaningful participation of women in the post-COVID-19 economic and industrial revolution, Bangladesh will not be able to achieve the desired success in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Women need to be given proper training in the use of information technology so that they do not face any danger in the use of information technology.

Bangladeshi female migrant domestic workers are often forcefully repatriated from the Middle East before concluding their working tenure due to the various difficulties and challenges they face while working there. However, they face many new challenges in reintegrating with family and society after returning home. This article explores the experiences and challenges faced by forced returnee Bangladeshi female migrant domestic workers during social reintegration. It also examines the experiences of those returned migrant women who were not returned forcibly to provide a better idea of the reintegration. The questions of how and why forced returnee Bangladeshi female migrant domestic workers face challenges and problems in their social reintegration are addressed in this study. This article uses the qualitative techniques of data collection and the analysis is based on an in-depth interview of 28 respondents among different categories of participants. This article finds that the social reintegration experiences of forced returnee female migrant domestic workers are often stressful and difficult due to the issues of changed social perceptions towards them, psychological changes in the returnees themselves, challenges in intimate partnerships, and economic factors in the case of relationship rebuilding with friends, family and society. Finally, the article outlines some policy implications regarding the female migration of Bangladesh.

Abstract: Tertiary-level students from Bangladesh usually migrate to Germany for the purpose of higher studies. These international student migrants use communication media to maintain connections with family members and friends in Bangladesh and social networks with friends, classmates, and Bangladeshi community members in Germany. Drawing on the experiences of Bangladeshi student migrants in Germany and using polymedia theory, this paper investigates how the migrant students use the polymedia environment to maintain the transnational social networks and connections. This paper is based on qualitative data derived from 18 in-depth interviews with Bangladeshi migrant students in Germany. Findings suggest that using the polymedia environment, Bachelor migrant students receive emotional support from their family members back home, while Masters and PhD students are responsible for providing emotional and practical support to their left-behind families, relatives, and friends. Migrant students’ media usage with families and friends living in Bangladesh is influenced by their marital status and gender as well as their familial and social structure in Bangladesh. Their use of communication media with the members of the Bangladeshi community and foreign classmates living in Germany is comparatively less frequent and more education-oriented.

At the Myanmar Conference 2020 Minorities in Myanmar, Stuttgart, Germany. Abstract accepted but I was unable to present at it.

Irregular migration is an issue of great concern for today’s world. There are various factors that are responsible for this conundrum. These are overpopulation, natural disaster, poverty, illiteracy, lack of employment opportunities, for a better life, etc. Thus, irregular migration has been a livelihood strategy for millions of people worldwide for a long time. Bangladesh is one of the top countries in the world in terms of sending labor migrants. Every year thousands of Bangladeshis are migrating overseas either legally or by illegal means for a better livelihood. However, in the last couple of years, total remittance flow was not satisfactory because of the diplomatic tension between Bangladesh and major migrants receiving countries. In addition, the new migrations policies of the Middle-Eastern countries which is the main destination points for Bangladeshi migrants in terms of single regions also have shrunk the scope. As a result, the number of irregular migrations from Bangladesh to Malaysia has increased. This paper attempts to unveil the key causes of irregular migration through the risky Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea by analysing the field data. It will focus on the case studies of the trafficking victims and their family members with focusing on why they took this dangerous path of irregular migration. It also argues for an effective mechanism to monitor the whole process of irregular migration from Bangladesh to Malaysia on an urgent basis.

Globalization has promoted labor migration from Bangladesh to various countries on a greater scale. Remittance from Bangladeshi migrant workers is considered to be a major determinant of the economic development of Bangladesh over the last decade. Female workers to the Middle East constitute a large portion of those Bangladeshi migrants’ workers. Domestic violence, abuse of the workers’ vulnerability, violation of their rights to information are some common stories with them. Focusing on the experience of Bangladeshi female migrant workers, this paper looks at the recruitment process of Bangladeshi female workers to the different states of the Middle East through various channels. This paper intends to trace the reasons behind the exploitative situation of the female migrants’ workers aboard. Migrant workers’ rights are human rights. By focusing on the exploitative practices during the recruitment of female migrant workers in Bangladesh for employment to the Middle East, this paper links the human rights and migrant workers’ rights. The recruitment process of migrant workers is complex and often bypasses official rules. Being vulnerable as women from a poor socio-economic background, female workers are at risk of paying high recruitment costs, debt bondage, deception, and human trafficking. The author argues that the emphasis on recruitment practices can improve the condition of workers at all stages of migration. Finally, this paper suggests measures to ensure better recruitment practices and the rights of migrant workers.

At IMISCOE Spring Conference. University of Lisbon, Portugal.

At the EMMIR & ACMS (African Centre for Migration and Society) International Conference 2019, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany.

While many believe that the biggest problems today are the world's struggling economies, the increase in terrorist cults, or growing populations, the greatest predicament concerns fossil fuel consumption, the resulting climate change and its repercussions. To change our patterns of fossil fuel consumption, key alternatives include fuel options such as renewable energy sources (e.g., solar or wind energy) and nuclear energy. As discussed in this article, renewable energy sources also have an environmental impact and are inadequate to totally meet the demands of an ever-expanding industrial civilization. Another alternative that many environmentalists are promoting is nuclear energy, which has been cited as the ultimate clean energy. At present, nuclear energy offers hope for an eco-friendly and economically-suitable energy option. This article argues that despite the challenges of public security, nuclear energy is a far better alternative than carbon-based fuels to promote sustainable development and protect against accelerated climate change.

This paper examines the role of elected women representatives in the Union Parishad (UP), the lowest unit of rural local government in Bangladesh. The number of women representatives in recent years has apparently reached the ‘critical mass’ stage considered being extremely important for women empowerment. The paper finds that notwithstanding a surge in the number of women members caused mostly by the implementation of the quota reservation policy, ‘critical acts’ do not receive any serious attention. Women are also often deprived of their due share in decision-making and programme implementation. The paper explores reasons that account for the gap between the law and behavior of the role actors. The paper argues that the quota reservation policy matters as it has brought about some kind of qualitative change in the role perception and behavior of women members. What is needed is to adopt measures to make it work better. To do that, Bangladesh may learn lessons from others, especially India’s, experience.

This paper examines the role of elected women representatives in the Union Parishad (UP), the lowest unit of rural local government in Bangladesh. The number of women representatives in recent years has apparently reached the ‘critical mass’ stage considered being extremely important for women empowerment. The paper finds that notwithstanding a surge in the number of women members caused mostly by the implementation of the quota reservation policy, ‘critical acts’ do not receive any serious attention. Women are also often deprived of their due share in decision-making and programme implementation. The paper explores reasons that account for the gap between the law and behavior of the role actors. The paper argues that the quota reservation policy matters as it has brought about some kind of qualitative change in the role perception and behavior of women members. What is needed is to adopt measures to make it work better. To do that, Bangladesh may learn lessons from others, especially India’s, experience.

Research into the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and extrajudicial killing in Bangladesh remains undeveloped in several areas. Existing research does not pay adequate attention to the causes and dynamics of extrajudicial killing in Bangladesh. Nor does it explore the issue using any major theoretical framework, such as global Southern perspectives. This chapter considers policing and extrajudicial killing in Bangladesh using Southern criminology as an analytical tool. It is argued that the lack of effectiveness of criminal justice institutions due to a colonial legacy and corruption encourages the creation of this new elite force for controlling crime and terrorism, which often justifies its existence through taking recourse to extrajudicial killing.

Renewable energy sources are vital to fulfill the high demands of energy in the present world. The common renewable energy sources are wind, hydropower, nuclear and biomass. However, hydropower is considered the most flexible and consistent renewable energy source because it is comparatively cheaper and more available. Besides hydroelectricity production, hydropower dams can also be useful for irrigation. Though hydropower energy is considered as green energy due to its less carbon emission, still other environmental impacts of hydropower dams are many. Hydropower dams are built based on political ground. Research into the politics of building hydropower dams and environment remains underdeveloped in many ways. Thus, this paper focuses on the issues of politics of building hydropower dams and its impacts on environment. This paper has critically reviewed the extensive literature to examine the argument and counter argument. This paper argues that the building hydropower dams on international river for renewable energy has political as well as environmental impacts. Most of the literature argued that hydropower dams provide renewable energy which produces less carbon emission, but it is argued in this paper that hydropower dams have huge political and environmental impacts nationally and internationally. Displacement of the people and dispute for water distribution among countries due to the building hydropower dams are also considered to be significant for discussion in this paper. Thus, the paper critically examines the impacts and role of hydropower dams on environment, international relations and politics.

Women in Governing institutions in South Asia (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 141-61.

This paper is about human rights and policing in Bangladesh, with special focus on the role of National Human Rights Commission. The protection and promotion of human rights in Bangladesh has become difficult as the law enforcement agencies, particularly the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), are involved in human rights violations. An overall culture of impunity for human rights violations exists in Bangladesh. The National Human Rights Commission appears to have failed to break the culture of impunity in Bangladeshi politics. This paper explains the reasons why the National Human Rights Commission in Bangladesh largely fails to make the political system in particular law enforcement agencies accountable.

Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971 on the basis of Bengali national identity which became one of the basic principles of the Constitution of the State. Later, this dominant state ideology was challenged by the ethnically non-Bengali minority people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) which resulted in a long civil war between Bangladesh Army and the armed Pahari militias in the CHT. On the other hand, military rulers after 1975 changed the Constitution to replace ‘Bengali’ with ‘Bangladeshi’ nationalism and actively instituted Islamic elements in the national identity. Instead of solving the question of identity, it gave birth to another polarisation in Bangladeshi politics. In 2013, when the International Crimes Tribunal started conviction of 1971 war criminals who are mainly leaders of Jamaat-E-Islami (JI) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), subsequent events and conflicts divided the country into two new identity bloc: secularists/atheists vs. Islamists/collaborators. Present paper traces the construction of the new identity polarisation and argues that the apparent division is mainly elite construction rather than actual difference among people.

At The Gobeshona Conference for Research on Climate Change in Bangladesh, Independent University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Abstract accepted but I was not able to present at it.

In recent past, few important studies (Martin et al., 2014; Siddiqui and Billah, 2014) identified that environmental change is one of the factors that influence decisions of people in Bangladesh to migrate or not to migrate. However, hardly any study existed that looked into the influence of environmental change in migration decision in Chittagong Hill Tracts region. This paper aims to understand the role of labour migration in increasing local level adaptation capacity of people in the backdrop of climate and environmental hazards in the CHT.

Peacekeeping Operation (pko) is significantly a worthwhile strategy for preservation and restoration of international peace and security. Promotion and protection of human rights in peacekeeping operations is a phenomenon and cannot be the only responsibility of the United Nations. However, as the most important actor of the international system, it has the primary responsibility to promote and protect human rights in peacekeeping operations because human rights issue has become very significant in the sense that unfortunately, in most cases, peacekeepers are involved in gross human rights violation in the course of operation that damage overall reputation of un. Hence, application and enforcement of international human rights law in peacekeeping operations are essential in order to shelter the civilian form attacks, torture, and other forms of human rights violations. This paper examines the un’s efforts to address human rights in pkos, and also targets to find out the actual scenario of human rights in pkos and proposes some policies.

Abstract: The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, signed on December 2, 1997 between the government of Bangladesh and the Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhiti Samiti (PCJSS—Chittagong Hill People’s Solidarity Association) ended a long-standing armed conflict between the Bangladesh Army and the tribal people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the south-eastern region of Bangladesh. The treaty promised to bring stability in the region. But 15 years into the signing of the Accord, it has yet to bear fruit. The region is still the most unstable region of the country and resentment among the tribal people is increasing day by day due to delays in the full implementation of the Accord. The Accord has also produced a new conflict: after its signing, a group emerged from within the PCJSS movement and formed the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) a political party aiming at “full autonomy” rather than implementation of the Accord. The frequent clashes between PCJSS and UPDF and between the tribal and the ‘Bengali Settlers’ pose serious threat to the security of the country. In this situation this paper argues that the government of Bangladesh should take immediate and meaningful steps toward full implementation for the Accord. The costs of failure are high: disrupting activities, armed warfare, violations of human rights, losses of lives and resources, exposing the border regions to external threats—all of these are costs that the nation can hardly bear if lasting peace is not achieved.

Refugee situation is characterized by suffering; suffering for the refugees, the host community as well as the asylum country. This causes constraints over financial and physical resources of the host country and immense effort of international community to deliver aid to the targeted population. The pain exacerbates when the refugee situations are prolonged and no long-lasting solution appears feasible. Alarmingly, people caught in this kind of protracted refugee situations are on the rise. The case of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is one of the most complex refugee situations in the world which has been continuing for more than three decades. The present paper is a study of the Rohingya refugees to examine the effectiveness of traditional durable solutions offered by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The paper posits that the ultimate solution of Rohingya crisis lies in the political good-will of stakeholder state parties. UN Security Council can play a vital role by applying the coercive diplomacy through Responsibility to Protect (R2P) measures against the state of origin of refugee problem viz. Myanmar