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![]() Bangladesh | ![]() United States |
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Diplomatic mission | |
Embassy of Bangladesh, Washington, D.C. | Embassy of the United States, Dhaka |
Envoy | |
Bangladeshi Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Imran | American Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D. Haas |
Bangladesh-United States relations are the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the United States of America. For the United States, Bangladesh is the 38th largest goods supplier and 60th largest export market. [1] For Bangladesh, the United States is the largest export market. [2] The two countries signed a bilateral investment treaty in 1986. [3] U.S. companies are the largest foreign investors in Bangladesh. [4] The U.S. government is the leading contributor of humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis. [5] Both nations have announced similar views for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. [6]
Bangladesh has an embassy in Washington D.C., and consulates in New York City and Los Angeles. The United States has an embassy in Dhaka, with information centers in Chittagong, Jessore, Rajshahi and Sylhet. The U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh also operates the Archer K Blood American Library and the Edward M Kennedy Centre in Dhaka. Both countries are members of the United Nations. In 2014, 76% of Bangladeshis expressed a favorable view of the United States, one of the highest ratings for the countries surveyed in South Asia. [7] The introduction of the new defense equipment will serve to bolster UN peacekeeping endeavors and other missions within Bangladesh. The United States government has committed to supplying the Bangladesh Armed Forces with additional weaponry and equipment to reinforce its capacity to safeguard its sovereignty. [8]
Relations between Bengal and the United States can be traced to 1792 when President George Washington nominated Benjamin Joy as the first American envoy to the Bengal Presidency. The British East India Company initially refused to accept the envoy, but an American consulate was eventually established for Fort William. The American consulate in Bengal was one of the first U.S. diplomatic posts in Asia. Chittagong was one of the seven ports under the jurisdiction of the American consulate in Fort William, along with Aden in Yemen and Rangoon in Burma. [9] [10] American traders collected artwork, handicrafts, terracotta, sculptures, religious and literary texts, manuscripts, and military weapons from Dhaka and other places in Bengal, with many objects that can be found in the Peabody Essex Museum. [11]
In World War II, substantial American naval, air and army forces were stationed in eastern Bengal as part of the Burma Campaign. The United States established a consulate general in Dhaka, East Bengal on 29 August 1949, [12] following the partition of India and east Bengal becoming the eastern wing of the Dominion of Pakistan. American teachers, architects and aid workers frequented the capital of East Pakistan in the 1960s.
During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, American diplomats, led by the consul general in Dacca, Archer Blood, sent a series of telegrams detailing atrocities committed by the Pakistani military against Bengali civilians. [13] They dissented with the Nixon administration's policy of ignoring the genocide due to the close American alliance with the Pakistani military junta. [14] Within the US, public opinion also turned against Nixon for his policy on Bangladesh. [15] Henry Kissinger later admitted that US policy on Bangladesh was a "misjudgment", remarking that "the [Bangladesh] crisis burst upon us while Pakistan was our only channel to China" during the rapprochement between Beijing and Washington. [16]
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including Ted Kennedy, Frank Church, [17] and William B. Saxbe, denounced the Nixon White House for its silence on the "systematic oppression" in East Pakistan. American cultural figures like the poet Allen Ginsberg [18] (who wrote September on Jessore Road ) and the singer Joan Baez promoted awareness of the Bangladesh War. The Concert for Bangladesh was organized in New York City by British, American and Indian musicians; and featured American icons like Bob Dylan. [19] The U.S. Congress imposed an arms embargo on Pakistan; but despite that, the Nixon White House sent secret arms shipments to the junta. [20] When India intervened in December 1971, the White House dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Bay of Bengal. [21] Peace activists blocked arms shipments in several northeastern American ports. [22] Bengali diplomats at the Pakistani embassy in Washington, D.C., defected and operated a mission of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh.
After the liberation of Bangladesh in December 1971 and the withdrawal of Indian troops in March 1972, the United States formally recognized the newly independent country on 4 April 1972, and pledged US$300 million in aid. [23] [24] Herbert D. Spivack was the principal American diplomatic officer in Dhaka at the time. [25] Four days later, the United States and Bangladesh agreed to establish diplomatic relations at the embassy level. [26] The consulate-general was officially upgraded to an embassy on 18 May 1972. [27] Relations between Bangladesh and the American-led Western world dramatically improved in the late 1970s, when President Ziaur Rahman reversed the socialist policies of the first post-independence government and restored free markets. In 1983, military ruler Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad was invited to the White House for talks with President Ronald Reagan. [28] Reagan praised Dhaka for its role in the Cold War, stating "the United States wishes to applaud Bangladesh, a member of the nonaligned movement, for its constructive approach to issues of regional and global concern. To cite only a few examples: Bangladesh clearly manifested its courage and resolve in its unswerving responses to aggression in Afghanistan and Kampuchea. It also took the lead in establishing the South Asian Regional Cooperation Organization, a body designed to build a more prosperous and stable region for the people of South Asia. Bangladesh's foreign policy has exhibited an activism, moderation, and force of moral conviction which has earned the respect of the world". [29] [30]
The United States has been one of Bangladesh's principal development partners since independence, providing over US$6 billion through USAID since 1972. [31] It has helped set up important infrastructure in the country, including NASA assistance for the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) and a TRIGA research reactor in the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. [32]
Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has been awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the US Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honours of the United States. [33] [34]
Bangladesh is a major American ally in South Asia. The two countries have extensive cooperation on matters of regional and global security, counter terrorism and climate change. Bangladesh has been a key participant in the Obama administration's main international development initiatives, including food security, healthcare and the environment. Since June 2021, the United States has shared 114,570,820 safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses with the people of Bangladesh – free of cost. Bangladesh is the largest recipient of U.S. COVID-19 vaccine donations with over 150 million dosages. Since the beginning of the pandemic, U.S. support has trained more than 50,000 healthcare providers and other workers on safely administering vaccines across 64 districts, donated 18 freezer vans, 750 freezer units, and 8,000 vaccine carriers to help transport 71 million doses of vaccines to remote areas and directly administered 84 million vaccinations. [35] [36]
After the Biden administration imposed visa sanctions on Bangladeshi officials for human rights and other reasons, it was severely criticized by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. [37] Peter Haas, the US ambassador to Bangladesh, was also accused of interfering its internal affairs. Some scholars pointed out that the United States has always treated Bangladesh with double standards. [38] [39]
The United States is the largest export market for Bangladesh. [40] The U.S. is also one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment in Bangladesh. The biggest American investment in the country are the operations of Chevron, which produces 50% of Bangladesh's natural gas. [41] Bilateral trade in 2014 stood at US$6 billion. The main American exports to Bangladesh are agricultural products (soybeans, cotton, wheat, dairy), aircraft, machinery, engines, and iron and steel products. American imports from Bangladesh include apparel, footwear, and textile products; toys, games and sporting goods; shrimp and prawns; and agricultural products. [42]
In June 2013, following the 2013 Savar building collapse that led to over 1,000 deaths, the United States suspended a preferential trade agreement with Bangladesh that allowed for duty-free access to the US market over poor safety standards. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry then issued a statement that read: "It cannot be more shocking for the factory workers of Bangladesh that the decision to suspend Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) comes at a time when the government of Bangladesh has taken concrete and visible measures to improve factory safety and protect workers' rights." [43]
However, on the service sector export front, the United States is the largest export destination for Bangladesh's ICT industry accounting for 34 percent of Bangladesh's ICT exports (Latifee, E. H., 2022). [44] Besides, the U.S. is the largest ICT market in the world representing 33 percent of the total or approximately US$ 1.8 trillion market size in 2022 with more than 0.52 million software and IT services companies collectively contributing 9.3 percent to the US GDP making them the top ICT export destination for Bangladesh as the USA has also the highest ICT spending per-capita (Latifee, E. H., 2022). [45]
The United States is one of Bangladesh's principal strategic military allies. American defense cooperation is seen as a counterweight to regional powers India and China, as well as Russia. Joint exercises are held on a regular basis, particularly in the Bay of Bengal. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command maintains regular engagements with the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The U.S. has also helped set up the elite SWADS marine unit in the Bangladesh Navy, which is modeled on American and South Korean special forces.
Bangladesh is one of the world's largest contributors to UN peacekeeping. [46] [47] The United States has been a vital supporter of Bangladeshi peacekeeping engagements. [48]
There were 7,496 Bangladeshi students in U.S. universities in 2018, making Bangladesh 24th in the world among countries sending students to USA, and 10th in the world for sending Graduate level students. [49] The American Embassy in Bangladesh operates and supports several Education Consultancy Centers in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Rajshahi. Besides American Center, US Embassy also support the Edward M. Kennedy Center for Public Service & Arts and operates Archer K. Blood Library in Dhaka. [50] On the cultural front, Sisimpur , a USAID-funded Bangladeshi version of Sesame Street , is the most watched children's program on Bangladeshi television.
The United States has assisted Bangladesh during cyclone relief operations in 1991 and 2007. [51] Operation Sea Angel One in 1991 and Operation Sea Angel Two in 2007 saw US Marines joining Bangladeshi troops in providing relief to thousands of people in southern Bangladesh who suffered as a result of the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone and Cyclone Sidr.
The US-Bangladesh relationship is strengthened by the Bangladeshi American community. Fazlur Rahman Khan designed the United States's tallest tower in Chicago. Sal Khan is a prominent educationist. Hansen Clarke was the first U.S. congressman of Bangladeshi origin. M. Osman Siddique served as US Ambassador to Fiji.
Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan was a Pakistani military officer, who served as the third president of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971. He also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army from 1966 to 1971. Along with Tikka Khan, he was considered the chief architect of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide.
The foreign relations of Bangladesh are Bangladesh's relationships with foreign countries. The Government of Bangladesh's policies pursue a moderate foreign policy that heavily relies on multilateral diplomacy, especially at the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has stressed its principle of "Friendship towards all, malice towards none" in dictating its diplomacy. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Bangladesh has tended to not take sides with major powers. Since the end of the Cold War, Bangladesh has pursued better relations with its neighbours and other nearby states.
The Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, also known as the third India-Pakistan war, was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 December 1971. The war began with Pakistan's Operation Chengiz Khan, consisting of preemptive aerial strikes on eight Indian air stations. The strikes led to India declaring war on Pakistan, marking their entry into the war for East Pakistan's independence, on the side of Bengali nationalist forces. India's entry expanded the existing conflict with Indian and Pakistani forces engaging on both the eastern and western fronts. Thirteen days after the war started, India achieved a clear upper hand, and the Eastern Command of the Pakistan military signed the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, marking the formation of East Pakistan as the new nation of Bangladesh. Approximately 93,000 Pakistani servicemen were taken prisoner by the Indian Army, which included 79,676 to 81,000 uniformed personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces, including some Bengali soldiers who had remained loyal to Pakistan. The remaining 10,324 to 12,500 prisoners were civilians, either family members of the military personnel or collaborators (Razakars).
The Bangladesh Liberation War, also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh, was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh. The war began when the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan—under the orders of Yahya Khan—launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan on the night of 25 March 1971, initiating the Bangladesh genocide.
Archer Kent Blood was an American career diplomat and academic. He served as the last American Consul General to Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is famous for sending the strongly worded "Blood Telegram" protesting against the atrocities committed in the Bangladesh Liberation War. He also served in Greece, Algeria, Germany, Afghanistan and ended his career as chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, retiring in 1982.
The Bangladesh genocide was the ethnic cleansing of Bengalis, especially Bengali Hindus, residing in East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War, perpetrated by the Pakistan Armed Forces and the Razakars. It began on 25 March 1971, as Operation Searchlight was launched by West Pakistan to militarily subdue the Bengali population of East Pakistan; the Bengalis comprised the demographic majority and had been calling for independence from the Pakistani state. Seeking to curtail the Bengali self-determination movement, erstwhile Pakistani president Yahya Khan approved a large-scale military deployment, and in the nine-month-long conflict that ensued, Pakistani soldiers and local pro-Pakistan militias killed between 300,000 and 3,000,000 Bengalis and raped between 200,000 and 400,000 Bengali women in a systematic campaign of mass murder and genocidal sexual violence. In their investigation of the genocide, the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists concluded that Pakistan's campaign involved the attempt to exterminate or forcibly remove a significant portion of the country's Hindu populace.
Bangladesh–Iran relations are the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Iran. Despite not having any major deals or any big kind of trade, the representatives of both nations have called for expanding economic relations between the two countries. Both are members of the OIC and the Developing 8.
The Indo–Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation was a treaty signed between India and the Soviet Union in August 1971 that specified mutual strategic cooperation. This was a significant deviation from India's previous position of non-alignment during the Cold War and was a factor in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war.
Bangladesh–Russia relations are the foreign relations between Bangladesh and Russia. Russia has an embassy in Dhaka and a consulate-general in Chittagong, while Bangladesh has an embassy in Moscow. Diplomatic relations between the USSR and Bangladesh were established on January 25, 1972. These relations have continued with Russia being the successor state to the Soviet Union.
Bangladesh–China relations are the bilateral relations of Bangladesh and China. China has an embassy in Dhaka and Bangladesh has one in Beijing and consulates in Hong Kong and Kunming. Both countries are members of the BCIM Forum. According to Chinese government designations, Bangladesh and China are in a "strategic partnership of cooperation".
The independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, at the onset of the Bangladesh Liberation War by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; the following day the declaration was broadcast by Major Ziaur Rahman from Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra radio station in kalurghat, Chattogram. On 10 April, the Provisional Government of Bangladesh issued a proclamation on the basis of the previous declaration and established an interim constitution for the independence movement.
The bilateral relations between the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal have been progressive since the foundation of Bangladesh in 1971. The two nations are separated by the "Siliguri Corridor" - a 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide stretch of territory of the Indian state of West Bengal lies between southern Nepal and northern Bangladesh. Both South Asian nations are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
Bangladesh–Bhutan relations are the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan. The King of Bhutan was the first world leader to announce official recognition of Bangladesh's independence on 6 December 1971. The leadership of both countries have since exchanged many state visits. In 2016, the President of Bangladesh addressed the Parliament of Bhutan. On 6 December 2020, both countries signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with provisions for free trade in certain goods. The signing of the PTA was witnessed by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the Prime Minister of Bhutan.
Bangladesh and Indonesia established diplomatic relations in 1971. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country, whereas Bangladesh is the world's fourth largest Muslim country. They are partners in the United Nations and various multilateral organisations, particularly in international peacekeeping, the Developing 8 Countries, the Non-Aligned Movement, the World Trade Organization and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Bangladesh has an embassy in Jakarta, and Indonesia has one in Dhaka. Official diplomatic relations were established in 1972 after Indonesia became one of the first Muslim countries to recognise independent Bangladesh.
Bangladesh–Mexico relations are the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Mexico. Both nations are members of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
The Bangladesh Liberation War was a revolutionary independence war that took place in South Asia in 1971; this event resulted in the establishment of the republic of Bangladesh. The war pitted East Pakistan against West Pakistan and lasted over a duration of nine months. It witnessed large-scale atrocities, the exodus of 10 million refugees and the indiscriminate killing of 100,000 to 300,000 people from both sides.
The Embassy of the United States of America in Dhaka is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Bangladesh. It is located in Baridhara. The embassy has 400 staff led by the US Ambassador to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh–Jordan relations refer to the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Jordan. Both countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Genocide Remembrance Day is a national day of remembrance in Bangladesh observed on 25 March in commemoration of the victims of the Bangladesh genocide during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide is a 2013 book by American journalist and academic Gary J. Bass about The Blood telegram, a state department dissent memo on American policy during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide sent by Archer Blood the American Consul General to Dhaka, East Pakistan.
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
Media related to Relations of Bangladesh and the United States at Wikimedia Commons