The Rohingya crisis is the biggest problem facing Bangladesh right now, says Touhid Hossain, the foreign affairs advisor to the interim government.
If the crisis is not resolved, it may well expand from being a problem for Bangladesh to being one with regional or even global repercussions, he said.
Touhid made the remarks at the two-day “Bengal Delta Conference” at the InterContinental Dhaka hotel on Friday.
“We may see many changes in the geopolitical situation over the next 20 years. In this context, the Rohingya crisis is now the biggest problem from Bangladesh’s perspective.”
“From our side, there is no solution available to this crisis at the moment. It has been nearly eight years. Initially, everyone believed it might be resolved in a year or two. I thought so myself. But, this is a completely different global game. I would say, a 15-year plan must be prepared to resolve the crisis in that timeframe.”
Noting that eight years had passed since the influx of nearly 800,000 displaced Rohingya without a resolution, he said: “We are still trying so that something can be done. This was once a partial problem for Bangladesh. But now, it has definitely become a complete problem.”
The advisor warned that it could evolve into a regional crisis in the future.
“I can say for sure that this problem will not be limited to Bangladesh if it continues like this for the next eight years. It will be a regional problem. It may even cross regional boundaries.”
“Many of the Rohingya children who came to Bangladesh with their parents at the age of 5-10 have entered adolescence. Many have even passed their adolescence. So will these millions of children, especially boys, accept the nomadic life in these refugee camps? Where there is no hope, no light in the future?”
He continued, “They will challenge their conditions. When they do that, it will be a big problem for Bangladesh as well as a big problem in this part of Asia.
“So, this crisis must be resolved – not only in the interests of Bangladesh and the Rohingya, but also as a regional and global problem.”
Touhid touched on global politics as well as the weaknesses of Bangladesh’s primary education system and politics at the conference.
He said, “Change always comes. However, recently there have been several rapid changes in world politics, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the massacre in Gaza, as well as the Israeli-American attack on Iran, and, most recently, the US tariff war.”
“I think these issues have brought about many changes in geopolitics. If we look at the massacre in Gaza, we see an important change in the world over the last one or two years in the way the Western world views the Palestinian issue.”
“I’m not talking about the (Global) South, because we all stand in solidarity with Palestine. But, for the first time in America itself, more than 50 percent of people think that Israel is committing serious crimes in Palestine. So, I think this is a major change.”
“I have noticed one more thing, that intellectuals close to the US have also taken a strong stand against the massacre in Gaza.”
Regarding the US’s recent trade war, he said: “[The US tariffs] have put pressure on the economies of various countries. These tariffs have also brought about a big change in geopolitics.”
He noted the recent thawing of ties between India and China.
“The US-India relationship revolves around China. Although the two countries have had good relations until now, a lot has changed very quickly. The Indian prime minister and the Chinese president are now using similar language
“So, are we really seeing a new friendliness between different countries? I would say no. There have been no changes in the fundamentals of geopolitics yet. The changes we are seeing may not be permanent.”
Touhid spoke of the possibility of Asia growing more and more prominent on the global stage this century.
“Asia may dominate in the 21st century. The 20th century was dominated by the UK and the US. This will change. No one can stop it. But that does not mean it will change the geopolitical landscape immediately or completely.”
He said, “And perhaps Africa may dominate in the 22nd century. Africa is the only continent with enough people. If they could only gain some control over the incredible natural resources they have… resources that they currently do not have control over.
“I have visited many countries in Africa. I have seen that they have no control over these resources. So, if they can gain even a little control over these resources, then they will have a more powerful foundation in geopolitics in the 22nd century. But that is a long way off.”
