“Tell the world what you saw’: The appeal of an elderly Palestinian

December 27, 2023

Lt. Gen. Dr. MOHAMMAD MAHFUZUR RAHMAN In 2014, I took the opportunity to visit Israel and Palestine from ‘The Royal College of Defence Studies.’ It was a focused study tour to understand the realities on the ground and a unique chance to listen to Israeli and Palestinian viewpoints encompassing civil, military, establishments, think tanks, academics, […]Continue Reading

CHT Peace Accord and its future based on regional geopolitical imperatives

November 30, 2023

Lt. Gen. Dr. MOHAMMAD MAHFUZUR RAHMAN The CHT Peace Accord was signed on December 2, 1997, when I. K. Gujral was the Prime Minister of India, a role he held from 1997 to 1998. Prior to that, he served as the external minister from 1996. The famous Gujral doctrine, based on principles of mutual respect, […]Continue Reading

Narco-terrorism in Myanmar: A danger signal for the region and beyond

August 24, 2023

Md Nayeem Ashfaque Chowdhury, PhD The term narco-terrorism was possibly used by former President Fernando Belaúnde Terry of Peru in 1983 while he was describing the terrorist attacks against his nation’s anti-narcotics police. Following this the term started being used by many to identify the terrorist organisations who are engaged in drug trafficking activity to Continue Reading

Relevance of World Indigenous Day celebration in Bangladesh

August 7, 2023

Maj Gen Dr. Md. NAYEEM ASHFAQUE CHOWDHURY (Retd.) The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution (49/214) on December 23, 1994, declaring August 9 to be the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, commemorating the first meeting of the UN Working Group on the Indigenous Peoples held in 1982. The day is celebrated to raise […]Continue Reading

What led to the rise of KNF?

June 3, 2023

MEHADI HASSAN PALASH The current hot topic in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is the Kuki-Chin National Front, abbreviated as KNF, and its military wing, the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA). The history of this group’s struggle is not new even though the existence of the organization only became known in April 2022. A Google search or […]Continue Reading

Is ICC being used as a political tool of convenience?

May 12, 2023

Lt. Gen. Dr. MOHAMMAD MAHFUZUR RAHMAN Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the ICC ( same as Myanmar, however, Bangladesh is a member of the ICC), which would have granted it automatic jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed by Russia during the ongoing invasion. Despite this, on March 17, 2023, as part of its […]Continue Reading

Why does UN acknowledge Bangladesh efforts to implement CHT Peace Accord finally?

May 9, 2023

MEHJABIN BHANU The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has acknowledged the progress made in implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord, in its report on its 22nd session, held in New York from April 17 to 28. The Bangladesh delegation spoke about the achievements of the government in the implementation of the agreement during various […]Continue Reading

How important is Rohingya repatriation in overall peace and stability of the bay of Bengal?

April 30, 2023

Lt. Gen. Dr. MOHAMMAD MAHFUZUR RAHMAN Recent messy land wars, including Russia-Ukraine, have obscured us the importance of the sea and coastlines across which most trades are conducted, where most humanity lives, and along which more economic and military activities will take place in future as in the past. In this continuum, no ocean is […]Continue Reading

Vienna Convention and Diplomatic Practice

March 31, 2023

WALIUR RAHMAN “An Ambassador should be a trained theologian, should be well-versed in Aristotle and Plato, and should be able at a moment’s notice to solve the most abstruse problems in correct dialectical form: he should also be expert in mathematics, architecture, music, physics and civil and canon law.”  —Ottaviano Maggi (1596)  The 1961 Vienna […]Continue Reading

The pros and cons of Currency Crises and the Bangladesh Narratives

March 31, 2023

Dr. JAMALUDDIN AHMED Currency crises defined as speculative attack on foreign currency value of currency. A speculative attack often found leading to a sharp exchange rate depreciation despite a strong policy response to defend currency value.  The exchange rate is often considered to be the most critical price for any economy, for its effects all […]Continue Reading