Overview

Bangladesh is a country of paradoxes. The eighth most populous country of the world, it has attracted considerable attention from the international media and western policy-makers in recent years, often for the wrong reasons: corruption, natural disasters caused by its precarious geographical location, and volatile political situations with several military coups, following its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Institutional corruption, growing religious intolerance and Islamist militancy have reflected the weakness of the state and undermined its capacity. Yet the country has demonstrated significant economic potential and has achieved successes in areas such as female education, population control and reductions in child mortality. Ali Riaz here examines the political processes which engendered these paradoxical tendencies, taking into account the problems of democratization and the effects this has had, and will continue to have, in the wider South Asian region. This comprehensive and unique overview of political and historical developments in Bangladesh since 1971 will provide essential reading for observers of Bangladesh and South Asia.

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9781780767413

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Reviews

Compared with its South Asian country neighbours Bangladesh receives far less international attention politically than it should. Riaz's authoritative, analytically incisive and above all eadable account of Bangladesh's political history makes a substantial and scholarly contribution to addressing the gap. This will be essential reading for researchers, teachers, students, journalists and - dare I say it - politicians with an interest in Bangladesh and South Asia more widely. David Lewis, Professor of Social Policy and Development, LSE; An excellent book, written by one of the most knowledgeable analysts of Bangladesh's contemporary history and politics. Analytically rigorous, theoretically sound and empirically rich, it contributes tremendously to our understanding of the political processes, institutions and actors in this young nation. It is a must-read for students of South Asian politics and comparative politics who are interested to learn about divergent trajectories of democracy, national identity-formation and the political role in this region of the world. Aurel Croissant, Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg

Author Information

Ali Riaz is a Distinguished Professor of political science at Illinois State University, USA. He currently also holds the Thomas E Eimermann Professorship. He was the chair of the Department of Politics and Government between 2007 and 2017. Riaz previously taught at universities in Bangladesh, England, and South Carolina, USA, worked as a Broadcast Journalist at the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) in London, and served as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at Washington D.C.

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