The ever-interesting Stratpage has a summary of the next generation of Berlin Walls’ being built all over the world.
 |
|
Good Fences = Good Neighbors |
March 4, 2007: There a lot of large scale barrier systems going up in the world……Israel is building a 700 kilometers barrier between itself and the Palestinian West Bank.
…Pakistan is building a barrier along its 2,400 kilometer border with Afghanistan .
…Kuwait is upgrading its 215 kilometers of barrier along its Iraq border.
…Spain is building barriers around its two enclaves in Morocco
And so on. But the biggest wall of them all is actually being built by India –
India is building a 4,000 kilometer barrier along its border with Bangladesh. Various Indian rebel groups have been using bases in Bangladesh, and the local government has been reluctant to shut them down. That’s partly because of the large number of illegal migrants moving from Bangladesh to India.
For comparison, the oft-talked about, but never really implemented, US-Mexico border fence would be a full 1000km shorter than India’s Great Wall . And appropriately, the debate surrounding India’s wall echoes familiar arguments and issues from south of the US border.
For starters, much like the US-Mexico border, illegal aliens provided the initial impetus but stemming terrorism is the new argument that’s finally got things done –
INDIA is accelerating the construction of a 2,500-mile fence to seal its border with Bangladesh amid growing fears that its Muslim neighbour could become “a new Afghanistan”.Indian officials and western diplomats have been alarmed by an increase in terrorist attacks by militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda and by the Dhaka government’s failure to crack down on them.
India’s cabinet has decided to speed up work on the 8ft security fence, which is intended to keep out terrorists and arms smugglers.
On the illegal alien side of the argument a few reports give us an idea of both the numbers involved and the efficacy of the wall –
Delhi has claimed there are 20 million Bangladeshis in India illegally. [link]Officials say that the fence has already stemmed the flow of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants attempting to cross into India from about 65,000 annually a decade ago to just 10,000 this year. [link]
While terrorism from the Bangla border is relatively minor (well, as “minor” as anything related to terrorism can be), it’s a real threat and is growing over time –
Delhi is increasingly concerned about infiltration by militants from a country with a large, poor Muslim population that was scooped from India by partition. It accuses Bangladesh of harbouring insurgent groups fighting for accession from India from its northeastern states of Assam, Tripura and Manipur.There are also concerns about the rise of radical Islam after the spate of bombs and violence in Bangladesh. “Militancy is a new dimension,” Mr Singh said. “Earlier people came for employment. Now we’re getting reports that they’re coming for terrorist activities.” [link]
“Dhaka [the capital of Bangladesh] seems to have taken some measures against fundamentalists, but not with regard to Indian militants,” said Sabestian. “Militants from Tripura and other states in the region continue to get support and abetment across the border.” [link]
And, of course, the terrorism argument has been levied in post-9/11 US. Even if the terrorists themselves aren’t the border crossers, the infrastructure that supports other illegal aliens has been leveraged.
Finally, as we’ve seen with Mexico, few walls truly cut both ways. The Bangladeshi’s seem to recognize that the alien and terrorist flow is decidedly unidirectional and thus so is the application of force –
Around 25,000 men are fanned out along the frontier on the Bangladeshi side, and they speak of the Indian Border Security Force as if it were an enemy.…The fence being built by India around Bangladesh is creating tension in places, and occasionally there have been exchanges of fire.
On the “lawfare” side, the Bangladeshi’s contend the wall violates the a clause of a treaty which established India’s recognition of Bangladesh. That treaty guaranteed that India would erect no military / defensive structures along the border in the spirit of friendship –
Most of the time it has been seen that the BDR raises 1975 guidelines when it comes to building fences along the Indo-Bangladesh border. India has consistently conveyed that the 1975 border guidelines are only guidelines which relate to the demolition of defensive structures. They do not apply to the building of a fence, which is a physical barrier intended to put a stop to smuggling and other illegal movement across the border.” He further said: “The fence has no defence potential whatsoever. India believes that a misinterpretation of the 1975 border guidelines, which were drawn up in a spirit of friendship and understanding to guide the two forces, is stalling legitimate development activity.” [link]
…India, which shares a 4,095- km-long border with Bangladesh, wants fencing along the borders, while Bangladesh opposes it in particular areas, especially where India proposes to erect the barricade within 150 yards (about 200 meters) of the zero line.
Bangladesh argues that erection of the fence within 150 yards of the zero line violates the 1975 boundary agreement between the two countries, which stipulates that no barricade can be set up by either country within this distance of the border. [link]
I suppose that although good fences might make for good neighbors, the idea that the Joneses are tossing up a wall to keep you out can feel like a slap in the face. Oh well, life can be tough.
Why do I “feel” the word alles is somehow, somewhere, gonna show up on this topic?
I totally understand the motive behind building such fences, but it seems that in the long run, fences are counterproductive. Though it’s not a binding document, Art. 13 and 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declare the freedom of movement. Obviously, people smarter than myself thought this was important to maintaining a civilized society. To deny this right will certainly be seen as a slap in the face. Also, a fence seems like a very narrow minded approach to solving the ultimate problem of terrorism and illegal immigration. I think freedom of movement is very analagous to free trade. In fact, I don’t think you can have one without the other. Though there are strong objections to free trade, there is strong evidence, if not downright proof, that free trade is linked to a decrease in human rights abuses in many cases. I have no evidence but intuitively it seems as though freedom of movement would lead to the same result.
egg on face-though the person who posts it might spell it alleles , and still probably know just as much about ‘it’ as I do = 0. [changing my alias now!]
Can you plz elaborate, why you think its ‘narrow minded approach’ and what would be the ‘short term’ solutions for a situation which is turning out be a serious security problem for India. Long term solutions can be as ‘morally upright’ & ‘inclusive’ as one desires them to be. Situations, do need ‘short term’ approaches to begin with.
1.A nation state, by defintion has to and should be able to maintain territorial integrity. 2.India is not a ‘developed’ nation to be able to taken in millions of impoverished people. 3.Thousands of madrassas are lining up on India-Bangladesh border.
Any examples, which can be considered long run and counterproductive? (only the ones used to keep out those, threatening domestic security & stability)
Thousands of madrassas are lining up on India-Bangladesh border.
Out of which millions of jihadis/Islamo-fascists/sudden jihad syndrome prone, taqiyya practicing Muzzies would be coming out to enforce dhimmitude on the world’s largest, most secular, awesome, best democracy while that other madrassa alum, Barak HUSSAIN Obama bids to control the reigns of the free world with his presidency bid thus subjecting the West to appeasment, dhimmitude, genital mutilation of females just like Hirsi Ali etc.
Though there are strong objections to free trade, there is strong evidence, if not downright proof, that free trade is linked to a decrease in human rights abuses in many cases.
As a proponent of free trade, I cringe whenever I hear that increased trade leads to increase respect for human rights. There is no evidence of such linkage. China is far more open now than it was under Mao, but there are still significant human rights abuses. Vietnam is opening up its economy, but the Communists maintain tight control over politics. Putin’s Russia seems to be adopting some of the ugly Soviet era habits, despite having a more open economy. The benefit of free trade us greater selection at reduced prices for consumers. Improving human rights takes active political pressure.
From ancient history: Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Wall of China From relatively recent history: The Maginot, Zegfried (sp?) lines and Berlin Walls
In all of these cases, huge sums of money were spent to keep people out. If people want a way in, they’ll find a way in. Granted, most of these were designed to keep out armies, and they failed, but I still believe that doesn’t undermine my argument because we are still talking about spending enormous resources to keep out foreign “forces.” Further, one might even argue that it’s easier to keep out an entire army as opposed to a small group of illegal immigrants because it’s simply not realistic to build a wall of this size that doesn’t have any holes.
As for your three points:
I don’t disagree at all.
I’m not sure I buy the numbers provided in the article, and if I’m wrong please correct me. I find it hard to believe that 20 million Bagladeshis are in India when the entire population of Bangladesh is 150 million. That number seems a way high. If it’s not, is there an argument to be made, as in the U.S., that those immigrants are also providing labor and thus helping the economy. I find it hard to believe that all 20 million of those people would be a drain on India’s resources. I’m sure there is some contribution involved.
As for the madraasas, I just don’t know enough to comment on that fact.
The fence around the LOC has proved pretty effective in preventing terrorists from PoK from crossing over. I’m asssuming that this is why the government has decided to pursue a similar option with Bangladesh. India’s situation is pretty much resembling Israel’s bordered by hostile countries or ones with pretty strong militant groups.
As for the madraasas, I just don’t know enough to comment on that fact.
Please see comment #5.
India’s situation is pretty much resembling Israel’s bordered by hostile countries or ones with pretty strong militant groups.
Yes, but there is one key distinction between the proposed Indian fence with Bangladesh and the Israeli fence. India is going to make it fence on its own land and the fence will not snake around population centers with huge Indian settlements populations and Bangladeshi farmland.
Yes there are abuses, no doubt, but wouldn’t you say the problem is less severe? Yes, Putin’s Russia is reverting, but one cannot compare it to the Russia of Stalin or Kruschev. Likewise, in China, after the “Hundred Flowers Movement,” there were purges involving hundreds of thousands of people. Unless I’m tragically under informed, there aren’t purges taking place at that level in China today.
Historically speaking, wall-building is a symptom of big trouble to come:
The Roman Empire built Hadrian’s Wall to shield Roman-occupied Britain from the “barbarian” tribes up north. It didn’t help; the Roman Empire withdrew from the British isles and the Vikings moved in from the east and south.
The Chinese Empire built an enormously long wall to shut out Mongol tribes. That didn’t work; the Mongol tribes simply moved around the wall, and took over China.
The wealthy city-state Byzantium was surrounded by high walls in Medieval times. It thought itself safe behind these walls, and did not care to defend itself properly. The city was finally besieged by Christian Crusaders, sacked and burned.
Before World War II, France built the Maginot Line — a more aggressive form of wall, with fortified bunkers and stationary guns pointed at its border with Germany. Too bad the guns couldn’t be turned around, because Hitler invaded Belgium, moved around the “impenetrable” Maginot Line, and occupied France until 1944.
The Berlin Wall… no comment.
History shows that walling oneself up only brings a false sense of security, and in the long run spells certain doom. If so many nations are building walls at the same time, it implies that the nation-state as we know it is doomed. (I’m not joking.)
Definitely…20 million seems high. However, I can certainly affirm about Bombay, Hyderabad, Delhi, Calcutta which host hundreds of thousands of migrants from B’desh. And the country side of West Bengal is teeming with Bangladeshi migrants.
I have to take exception to this statement. If you have visited India, you would see there is no dearth of people thronging for even menial jobs for dimes. India has huge ‘unemployment’ problem and your argument does not hold.
.
Sure. You can’t stop all of them. But one can definitely bring some ‘semblance’ of sanity & control to a situation, which is reaching crisis level.
Sriram..thanks for the info on other historical instances (though I would discount Berlin/China walls – not an apt comparisons). I will check the rest. What would be your “Short term solution”?
I was seriously hoping you’d overlook the fact that I didn’t answer your basic question. The fact of the matter is, I have no idea. In an absence of an alternative, I guess a wall would be the way to go, but I’m not at all optimistic that it will achieve the desired effect.
Or at least that the ideological assumptions of some people regarding the necessary elements of a “nation-state” are doomed.
I’ll agree that a nation-state must have well-defined borders for military purposes. But for economic and trade purposes? We’ve already heavily blurred those boundaries when it comes to the wealthiest corporations. Would extending that right to poor migrants lead to disaster?
I’m not saying that India has the logistical or economic capability of absorbing these migrants. I really don’t know either way. But mass movements of people across political boundaries are as old as recorded history, and cultures have thrived regardless. Indian cultures successfully perpetuated itself through very powerful invasions of Muslims and British (and possibly Aryans if you buy that theory). I don’t think it will be wiped out by Bangladeshis.
Some claim that there are 30-40 million Illegal Bangladeshis in India, half of them being Hindus and Christians. Millions of Bangladeshi minorities fled the country during the genocide in 1971 and are still considered to be Illegal in India. The second wave of migration started 5-6 years back, when Khaleda Zia came to power. Bangladesh like India has become more intolerant in the last decade.
You can find the decline in Hindu population of Bangladesh here
I find it hard to believe that 20 million Bagladeshis are in India when the entire population of Bangladesh is 150 million. That number seems a way high.
This number is seen in many publications. Most of them are minorities from B’desh (Hindus and Christians), as other have pointed out in this thread.
Others (muslims) are itinerant laborers, they work in construction sites and/ or do menial jobs in India.
That is true that some of them came to India in 1971 and then never went back, and are still considered illegal. They live in very precarious conditions.
If you’ll allow me a bit of “pop psychology” here…
It almost seems as if surrounding oneself with a high wall provokes aggression. If a a burglar sees a wall around a mansion, his natural impulse is to think: “There’s got to be something really valuable on the other side, or they wouldn’t have bothered to wall it in!”
Humans are a curious and envious species. If you take pains to hide something from others — be it a country or some small object — what’s the first response you’ll get? “What’re you hiding there? Let me see it!” Next thing you know, someone tries to take it from you, because you had “walled it up” so conspicuously.
to sidetrack a little, the solution to the us-mexico border was suggested by bill maher. he said: build a walmart along the entire border – you could have the immigrants coming in from the mexican side, staffing the place, and the customers coming in from the us side. and of course, from the full 3,000km long line of checkout counters, you’d only have one open…
please continue with the regular programming.
It seems A.R.Yngve has taken what is considered to be “bullshit” to a new level. After reading his empathy filled humanitarian interpretation of the border problems of India, I have to say “WOW”, just “WOW”. Thanks for the entertainment.
Regards,
Brilliant idea Great Ganesha. Then they can call it Wallmart …
Pakistan is building a barrier along its 2,400 kilometer border with Afghanistan
Good Post, My Main Macaca Vinod.
Presumably to keep out the terrorists.
This has to be the Joke of the century.
KEsh:
” India’s situation is pretty much resembling Israel’s bordered by hostile countries or ones with pretty strong militant groups.”
AMfD:
“Yes, but there is one key distinction between the proposed Indian fence with Bangladesh and the Israeli fence. India is going to make it fence on its own land and the fence will not snake around population centers with huge Indian settlements populations and Bangladeshi farmland.”
Excerpts from presidential candidate and SM favorite Barack Obama’s speech to American Israeli Political Action Committee in Chicago:
. “Our job is to never forget that the threat of violence is real…. our job is to rebuild the road to real peace and lasting security throughout the region.â€ÂÂ
” with a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel: our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy. That will always be my starting point.â€ÂÂ
“The helicopter took us over the most troubled and dangerous areas and that narrow strip between the West Bank and the Mediterranean Sea,â€ÂÂ
â€ÂÂAt that height, I could see the hills and the terrain that generations have walked across. I could truly see how close everything is and why peace through security is the only way for Israel.â€ÂÂ
Do his statements portend the end of Obamamania on SM?
Over at the very good site Antiwar.com, Justin Raimondo also goes after Obama and his kissing of AIPAC’s ring.
A Horse of a Different Color: Obama, the Lobby, and the next war
“Of course Obama knows – yet he doesn’t dare speak. The man who touts his early opposition to the Iraq war doesn’t dare say the same about Israel’s war on Lebanon.”
The problem with Bangladesh was its creation was a secular home for Bengali people, but there exist one the state West Bengal; India, so its natural that in time Bangladesh transforms itself from a secular to an islamic homeland for Bengalis. The growing friendship between Pakistan and Bangladesh is case in point. Anti – India sentiment is high in Bangladesh.
A wall slows down infiltration, this has been sucessfully proved by reduced sucide bombing in Isreal. Its highly unlikely that you will have Bangladesh launch a full scale invasion of India, like the Mongol invasion of China or German invasion of France, that would cause the wall strategy to fail. A fortified border with anti-personal land mines (not banned in India, USA amongst others) will reduce infiltration.
Oh and you got tons of Bangladeshis in places like Bombay
Do his statements portend the end of Obamamania on SM?
Damdam: I am not a big fan of Obama. His preacher style way of talking makes me want to vomit. I have mentioned this sentiment on my comments before.
As to your Israel question, Osama and Hillary are going next week to the AIPAC conference and are going to hold competing receptions to court people and ideas which are sometimes to the right of even the Likud party in Israel.
I however dont use Israel as a litmus test for any Democratic or Republican Presidential candidates. I equally disagree with all of them so it doesnt make much difference.
It is absolutely nauseating to me that anyone would suggest deploying antipersonnel land mines in this day and age, particularly on the BORDER BETWEEN BANGLADESH AND INDIA. Somewhere in Hell, the former rulers of the British Raj are laughing their asses off.
In retrospect, walls always “seemed like a good idea at the time.”
I’m sure the Maginot Line seemed perfectly reasonable when it was new… up until the moment Hitler’s armies sidestepped it.
Think long-term: Will a wall make the problems you want to shut out disappear? You can build a wall, but eventually it’ll lull you into a false sense of security.
I would really like to have some facts on the issue that are a bit more concrete. “Terrorism” will not be resolved with walls, it’s a strategy that is highly resistant to state-sponsored interventions like gigantic walls or orange alerts. It’s unfortunate that Pakistan is for all intents and purposes a failed state, India is moving rightward faster than the Democratic Party, and Bangladesh does not seem to have a stable government. The solution to violence in South Asia cannot be brutal repression that ignores economic and political factors. Without some long-term strategies to end the ugly religious repression that seems to happen all over the region, I really don’t know why people think that they can arm India to the teeth and pray for peace.
tell it, yeti!
In support of yeti, a perhaps utopian sentiment from a somewhat famous Indian: Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls…..
Maginot line was never compromised. Infact it was so effective the Germans didnt even attempt to test it. If the French had extended the line into its borders with Belgium(instead of worrying about Belgian sensibilities)… they might have been a bit more succesful in defending the Germans.
Greatwall of china did its job quite well also. Infact it was not breached by Mongols. I believe a chinese general was bribed into opening the gates for them.
Hadrian wall… i honestly don’t know about. I think it went into disrepair as the Romans were more concerned about Visigoths.
The walls has a purpose and usually does a good job of impeding progress by outside force. The key word is IMPEDE. Its not going to stop it, but slows down or makes it more difficult to cross the border.
Its easy to sit in the US and dispense with sanctimonious sermonising against fences and in favor of ‘humanity’, anybody living in India will be well informed about the pressing need to check such influx. This has no parallel with the US-Mexico issue – India is a third world country with an enormous population of its own, and loopholes in the democratic system that can allow the illegals to become a power center thus influencing national policy by proxy, for not-so-friendly countries
There seems to be a lot of speculation about the “big picture” of a wall between Bangladesh and India without assessing some of the local realities on the ground. Although the fence, which has already been constructed in some places, purports to cover 4000km, large swaths of the Indo-Bangladesh border are riverine, making it harder if not impossible to build a fence in these areas.
In West Bengal, the Communist Party of India has long allowed movement of Bangladeshi migrants across the border, handing out ration cards as a form of voter identification. Instant vote bank. There’s as yet little incentive for this practice to cease. However, the influx of Bangladeshi immigrants over time has affected the demographics of neighboring states, including West Bengal, Assam, and Meghalaya. In Assam, for the first time you have the Assam United Democratic Front, which is a Muslim party, breaking away from its traditional Congress allies and standing on its own. In Meghalaya, tribal communities like the Khasis have noted that Bangladeshi immigrants are now moving into that state’s major cities, whereas previously they had only occupied tribal land in Meghalaya. And in West Bengal, in towns like Murshidabad and Dijanapur, the population of Bangladeshis has increased and led to a rise in political parties representing Muslims in these towns. Whatever your politics, these demographic changes will have an impact in elections in the future, including panchayat elections early next year in West Bengal.
In addition, there is plenty of intelligence that shows that NE insurgent groups such as ULFA use Bangladesh as a haven for their activities. Women and children are regularly trafficked from Bangladesh and the NE states through these same borders.
I’ve been to the Indo-Bangladesh border at Dawki in Meghalaya. You can see people crossing the mud flats when the river is at a low level. The terrain prevents the Indian BSF from adequately monitoring the border. Recently the Indian BSF and the Bangladeshi BDR met to discuss confidence building measures to encourage greater cooperation on cross-border issues. Given that there’s basically been a military coup in Bangladesh (though people are reluctant to admit it), India is assessing how best to manage its borders with an unstable neighbor. A fence may not work, but it’s only scratching the surface if we discuss the idea of fences without understanding the situation at a micro-level.
“Given that there’s basically been a military coup in Bangladesh (though people are reluctant to admit it)”
wow, i must have missed the whole coup thingee, i am pretty sure i haven’t seen any armed military at the grocery store recently, but then again, living in dhaka, my time is mostly taken up with formulating new plans for jumping the fence over to india… hows about a little more substantiated facts, rather then conjecture and opinions…
now off to the border and fence hoping….
23 Are you sober? Next time use references before stereotyping isolated incidents(if any).
As a Bangladeshi I am not against the fence, only if the international border regulations are maintained. The migration issue is an worry for both the countries. I personally know some Muslims migrated to Bangladesh from India still keep their Indian passport, just in case they have a better opportunity there. There were so many migrations happening since 1947 and some are still happening (distant families joining). Many Bangladeshis floating in Indian cities are also economic migrants. If they see conditions better in Bangladesh they will come back. The only way to tackle this is to make identification stricter. Bangladesh is thinking of building a national ID database. I hope India is also doing that soon to put a lid on these speculations and stereotyping about illegal immigrants.
The current Indian politics of ‘pampering these migrants with ration card and voting ability and after the election trying to get them out because they are Muslim’ is really crap. These people are really being used, who after living so many decades (some dating back to 1971) are still untouchables and never taken as one their own. How long does it take for a migrant to get nationality in the USA?
36 Mullahman
The reference has already been given in this thread. Let me guess ….. isolated incidents …. statistical quirks ……… Hindu rate of growth……
Hindu Population in Bangladesh http://www.acdis.uiuc.edu/research/OPs/Saikia/contents/appendix_5.html
Year
Hindus in Bangladesh (in %)
1941 29.7 1947 23.0 1961 19.0 1974 14.0 1981
13.4 2002 9.0
anyone from banglacountry wanna esplain this decrease in minority popoulation? damn shame
You don’t need to have aremed military in your grocery stores to understand that a de facto coup has taken place (use of the word “coup” has implications for other nations’ foreign policy, including the U.S.)
A good read is http://shadakalo.blogspot.com/2007/01/bloodless-diplomatic-coup-in-bangladesh.html.
That discussions are already taking place about a civil-military government as a possibility is also interesting in this regard, as well as a move to re-constitute a National Secuirty Council that includes a representative from the three military branches and reintroduction of the Special Powers Act.
building a wall does not mean other long term solutions will not be worked on. (ok, who am i kidding – its india, “let’s build a wall and forgeddaboutit” seems most likely), but what are the potential long term solutions? is india supposed to “improve bangaldesh” (yes, i see the irony there) or what.
Yeti, its easy to see that many problem in South Asia will be solved if the religious faultlines and intolerance along these lines disappeared. But I’ve never heard of any clear plans on how one could go about doing this. India has tried to improve relations, with both Pakistan and Bangladesh: there have been endless rounds of talks, with little result. The reason is the good old Prisoner’s Dilemma:how can either country be sure the other is not ‘defecting’. Ultimately its an extremely messy situations involving people with very different viewpoints and interests, and out of control of everyone involved. In comparison, building a wall is much easier and predictable:once you build it, it will stand. You are right that arming to the teeth and praying for peace is not the best thing to do. But it is certainly better than not arming and praying for peace.
and loopholes in the democratic system that can allow the illegals to become a power center thus influencing national policy by proxy, for not-so-friendly countries
Is there any evidence for that?
um, perhaps you ought to actually visit the place before making widesweeping statements. as a matter of fact, in the 2 other notably big coups here in mid 70’s and early 80’s, there was armed personnel all across the city, ergo, the grocery store. having the army knock down illegal buildings and stores does not a coup make. having bdr or army help keep law and order also does not a coup make. the army is deployed all across the world to help with national disasters and states of emergency by all kinds of non military governments.
hey, they’re getting paid anyway, why not use them…
esplain, interesting statistic. What are the absolute numbers? What are the relative birthrates? And what is the conversion rate? It’s usually quite high in Islamic countries because they make life very very very difficult for anyone who’s not Muslim, as seen in Pakistan.
I always wondered the utility of fences. Agreed that 7 ft is pretty wide.
But consider Rats. They can dig tunnels that are long enough. And they usually work at nights.
my hendu friends, be patient. henduz are no endengered species. and plz oil your own black assholes before claiming such cowdung. its for your own good, believe me.
Really Now!:
The Economist recently had a good piece on Bangladesh and the military’s de-facto coup. This is more than army deployment to help in this case, it’s about running the government. All this is not to say that it won’t be good for Bangladesh — that’s still wait and see.