A New Social Contract and Budget 2026:

Democratic Governance, Public Welfare, and the State Philosophy of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party — A Comprehensive Policy Analysis Abstract The national budget is never a mere arithmetic of revenue and expenditure — it is the most tangible definition of the relationship between a state and its citizens. This paper argues that the upcoming national budget …

Enemies, hosts and guests: The geopolitics of the 2026 World Cup

Every four years, the world pauses. For a month, borders appear to blur. Political disputes recede from the headlines, replaced by line-ups, goals and dreams. Billions of people become captivated by a single spectacle. Yet beneath the colours, chants and celebrations lies a reality that governments understand well: the World Cup is never just football. …

Beyond Dhaka: Rebuilding Local Government Structure in Bangladesh

Photo Credit : MD MARUF HASSAN In today’s world, Bangladesh stands at a very important turning point. Over the last few decades, the country has made quite some progress in economic growth, infrastructure, poverty reduction, and human development. But most of these progresses are only superficial. Almost like an eyewash. Beneath these achievements lies a …

Dukhu Mia’s Incomplete Rebellion

National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam ┃ Photo: BSS “আমি চির-বিদ্রোহী বীর — বিশ্ব ছাড়ায়ে উঠিয়াছি একা চির-উন্নত শির!” “I am the eternal rebel hero — I have risen beyond this world, alone, with my head forever held high.” From the poem Bidrohi (“বিদ্রোহী”), Agnibeena, first published in 1922. There is something quietly tragic about how …

From Development Case to Strategic Partner: Exploring the EU-Bangladesh PCA

Bangladesh’s initialling of the new European Union–Bangladesh Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in last April 2026 received far less public attention than it deserved. Overshadowed by domestic political noise and treated in many quarters as another routine diplomatic exercise, the agreement has the potential to, in fact, represent one of the most consequential shifts in …

What Bangladeshi Migration Reveals About Spain’s New Policy

Image: AI Generated The image is by now familiar, a fragile boat in the Mediterranean, young men packed shoulder to shoulder, somewhere between Libya and Italy. Increasingly and shockingly enough, many of them are Bangladeshi. Over the past decade, Bangladesh has emerged as a significant source of irregular migration to Europe. This is not a …

পহেলা বৈশাখ: ঐতিহ্য, ইতিহাস ও বাঙালির আত্মপরিচয়ের উৎসব

“এসো, এসো, এসো হে বৈশাখ—তাপসনিশ্বাসবায়ে মুমূর্ষুরে দাও উড়ায়ে,বৎসরের আবর্জনা দূর হয়ে যাক।” এই চিরায়ত আহ্বান শুধু একটি গান নয়, এটি বাঙালির চেতনার প্রতিধ্বনি। পহেলা বৈশাখের সূর্যোদয়ের পরপরই ছায়ানট এর শিল্পীরা রমনার বটমূলে সম্মিলিত কণ্ঠে এই গান পরিবেশন করে নতুন বছরকে স্বাগত জানান। এই আয়োজন কেবল সাংস্কৃতিক নয় ; এটি বাঙালির আত্মপরিচয়, ঐতিহ্য ও সামষ্টিক আবেগের …

Why Bangladesh must institutionalise youth representation in governance

Bangladesh’s future inevitably belongs to its youth. The question is whether its present institutions are prepared to share power accordingly Image : AI Generated Bangladesh stands at a defining political juncture. After an election that has stirred debate about accountability, governance and reform, the question before us is not only who will govern, but how …

Does the US-Israeli bombardment of Iran echo the US 7.5 million – tonne bombing in the Vietnam War? 

Image: AI Generated Standfirst: Within just two decades, Vietnam transformed from a colonial battleground into one of the central theatres of the Cold War. The war gave rise to one of the most devastating military campaigns in US history. On the very first day of the joint assault on Iran, Israel launched more than 1,200 …