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A US congressional briefing has warned that Bangladesh is approaching a “political cliff” ahead of its February 12 national elections, flagging mounting pressure on democratic institutions and growing risks for religious minorities. These developments, speakers said, have serious regional and global implications.
The briefing, held at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington just days before the polls, brought together academics, journalists, and community leaders to assess Bangladesh’s political trajectory, with a sharp focus on religious freedom, electoral credibility, and the rise of Islamist forces.
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Speakers cautioned that how Bangladesh navigates this election cycle will not only shape its domestic future but also serve as a broader indicator of stability across South Asia, urging Washington to take a clearer, more proactive stance.
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Religious minorities seen as key test of reform claims
Senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, said the treatment of religious minorities remains the most reliable measure of whether democratic reform claims are genuine.
How a country treats its religious minorities is “a better metric than anything else,” Rubin said.
“When it comes to Islamist parties, like in Bangladesh’s case, like Jamaat Islami, they engage in incitement because they want to use religion to avoid accountability,” he said. “Once tolerance is lost, it’s extremely difficult to win it back.”
Rubin further cautioned that Bangladesh is “well on its way to become a state of particular concern with regard to religious freedom,” adding that the country’s direction should worry Washington irrespective of party lines.
“This is not what we want to see in Bangladesh,” he said. “Bangladesh is one of the most significant countries in terms of population and economy. I would argue that it is very much the barometer for South Asia.”
Call for proactive US response, criticism of diplomatic language
Rubin also criticised what he described as a reactive pattern in US policy towards South Asia.
“The United States across administrations, whether they’re Republican or whether they’re Democratic, has a bad habit of being reactive rather than proactive,” he said.
He took aim at the way political violence is sometimes described in official reporting, warning that vague language can obscure accountability.
“By using the passive voice, what you’re showing is you don’t know who set off the bomb or you’re trying specifically to hide the subject,” Rubin said. “You’re in effect whitewashing terrorism.”
Rubin, during the question-and-answer session, also mentioned that Jamaat-e-Islami should not be treated as a conventional political party.
“I believe it’s a terrorist organisation,” he said.
Election has regional and global security implications
Adelle Nazarian, a journalist and geopolitical analyst with HinduAction, said the February 12 vote must be viewed beyond Bangladesh’s borders.
“This election is not merely a domestic Bangladeshi contest,” she said. “It is a regional and global security event.”
Nazarian warned that the exclusion of the Awami League from the electoral process risks normalising coercive politics.
“When a major party is excluded from the electoral process, the message sent to society is simple and dangerous,” she said. “Power is decided by force, not legitimacy.”
She added that fear is increasingly being weaponised in the political space.
“When rumours become verdicts, when a whisper becomes a death sentence, peace is not merely broken,” Nazarian said. “It is replaced by fear.”
US urged to insist on inclusion, observers and accountability
Nazarian called on Washington to spell out clear expectations for a credible election.
“The United States should state unequivocally that a credible election requires political inclusion, a free press, and equal protection under law,” she said. “International observers are a non-negotiable.”
She stressed that diplomatic statements must be backed by action.
“Words matter, but follow-through matters more,” Nazarian said.
The briefing was organised by HinduAction and the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) and took place days before Bangladesh’s scheduled elections, amid intensifying scrutiny of the country’s democratic governance and religious freedom record.
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