Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy in Transition:

Navigating New Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Landscapes

Abstract

Foreign policy is crucial for protecting a state's sovereignty and maintaining its national interests. Changes in power in Bangladesh often shift foreign policy. Bangladesh has long followed the policy of "Friendship to all, malice to none".  However, the previous government was accused of deviating from this policy due to geopolitical pressures and special relations with major countries. There has been a major change in Bangladesh's diplomatic relations since the current interim government took office. This study primarily attempts to examine how a change of government affects a country's foreign policy. Realism, small state diplomacy, and shelter theory are used to analyze this issue. The main question of this research is: What will Bangladesh's foreign policy be like in the future? And how will Bangladesh cope with new geopolitical and geo-economic challenges? This study analyzes internal and international factors. At the same time, how trade, infrastructure diplomacy, and foreign investment determine Bangladesh's foreign relations has also been assessed. A comparative analysis of how other small states around the world deal with such situations is presented here. This study discusses some possible future steps for Bangladesh. For example, improving relations with Pakistan, increasing closeness with China, and creating a new balance in relations with India and the United States. In addition, the issue of further strengthening diplomatic relations with the European Union and the United Arab Emirates has also been raised here.