Security dialogue usually transcends asymmetry.
What led to holding of the first ever security dialogue between Dhaka and Washington
on April 19? More such dialogues will perhaps follow. The agenda look to be
primarily bilateral and somewhat regional. But is that all?
The closed-door dialogue was led by Additional
Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal on Bangladesh side and US Assistant
Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro. Foreign
Secretary of Bangladesh Mohammad Mijarul Quayes inaugurated the dialogue while
the US
Ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena also attended the event.
The two sides agreed to enhance partnership in
UN peacekeeping, counterterrorism and disaster management. The whole gamut of
on-going security cooperation between the two countries in counterterrorism, disaster
management, maritime security and peacekeeping operations, and shared
commitment to peace, security and prosperity in the region, came up for
discussion, it was learned.
A press release of the US Embassy in Dhaka said the positive and substantial exchanges of the
dialogue reflected the depth and strength of the bilateral defence relationship
as well as shared commitment to peace and prosperity in the region. It said:
"This inaugural Dialogue on Security Issues highlights the robust
engagement between the United
States and Bangladesh as well as our growing
defense relationship." Describing Bangladesh as an important partner
of the US
in dealing with many traditional and non-traditional security threats, Andrew
Shapiro is reported to have stressed the strategic importance of Bangladesh for
the US
From Bangladesh side, however, no press
statement or briefing was made. However, the daily Independent quoted an
unnamed foreign ministry official who described the dialogue as an effort to
explore avenues of cooperation in security-related issues. The source further
said: "We want to work together on all of the security challenges that we
face here in this region and the world."
If one contextualises the visit, apart from
Bangladesh's being on the side of US in its much talked about global war on
terror, as are its other South Asian neighbours, some degree of bilateral
security cooperation has been ongoing. But this dialogue perhaps transcended
bilateralism and Bangladesh
has been gradually taken on in a South Asian security loop. Earlier, on March
2, head of US Pacific Command Admiral Robert Willard said in a hearing that US special
forces teams were currently stationed in five South Asian countries -- India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives -- as
part of the counter-terrorism cooperation with these nations. "South Asia is home to a confluence of challenges,
including nuclear armed rivals India
and Pakistan,
numerous transnational VEOs such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, piracy, trafficking in
narcotics and persons, disputed borders, and insurgent movements that have
plagued India,
Nepal,
and Sri Lanka,"
he said. Bangladesh,
he said, has emerged as a particularly effective partner in the fight against
terror, cooperating with India
as well as the US
to counter VEO activity by actors such as LeT. Further, Bangladesh's
military is advancing its capabilities and contributes broadly to UN
peacekeeping operations, he added.
Although the implied meaning of Willard's
statement that US troops are stationed in these South Asian countries was
rejected forthrightly in New Delhi,
Dhaka and later Washington DC, US embassy in New Delhi and India's ministry of defence
admitted that a unit from the US
25th infantry division was in India
to hold an exercise with Indian forces. It was also admitted in Dhaka that some US security personnel were in Dhaka for training purposes.
In February, two senior officials of US State
Department, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and
Human Rights Maria Otero and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central
Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, visited South Asian countries including Bangladesh. On
April 5, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman,
visited Dhaka to discuss bilateral issues with
top government officials, opposition leaders and civil society members. The
two-day official tour of Wendy Sherman, third in ranking in the State
Department, was considered crucial as it was the highest-level visit by any US government
official in recent years. Asked about the purpose of the visit, Mozena said:
"We have a very strong relationship and she [Sherman] will discuss with the leaders of Bangladesh
bilateral issues."
Thus, the dialogue is a continuation of efforts
to build up a regional security network with a host of regional security issues
and couched in it are a set of bilateral issues. The Maldives, also visited by Robert
Blake, comes into the picture because of its strategic location for security of
sea lanes of communication for vital energy resources. Whether political
turmoil in Maldives
provided the small island country an attraction for joining the regional
initiatives will be speculative at this stage. However, it will not be a mere
speculation that the China
factor also lies at the back of mind of the initiators, if not of the
responding nations of South Asia.
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