What was the outcome of Donald Lus’s visit?

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US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu’s visit to Bangladesh was the second by a top US official so far this month, but naturally, his was closely followed. Before leaving Dhaka on Monday, he had meetings with senior government officials, labor leaders, and civil society representatives. During the official talks, both sides had discussions on a diverse range of issues including trade, investment, labor issues, human rights, democracy, development, security, as well as other issues. bilaterally and regionally. The question is: what did Bangladesh get out of it?

Although not yet in concrete terms, overall, the trip appears to have ended on a positive note. There are signs of warming relations that have soured somewhat after a recent incident involving the US ambassador in Bangladesh, as well as US sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion imposed on December 10, 2021. Lu said as much, that stressing that he traveled to Bangladesh to “strengthen friendship”. During their discussions, both sides laid out their priorities and concerns, and pledged to continue working together. On the question of restoring the GSP facility for Bangladesh, which was suspended by the US after the Rana Plaza collapse, Lu said he was “very confident that we will make progress this year.”

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There was also encouraging feedback on other issues, particularly the performance of Rab. Lu expressed his satisfaction, acknowledging the “tremendous progress” in how the elite force has reduced extrajudicial killings since 2021. “This shows that RAB is fulfilling its important counterterrorism and law enforcement duties while respect human rights.” The issue of punishment naturally dominated public discourse before his trip. There are even fears that sanctions may follow. But nothing of the sort seems likely to happen now, and lifting the sanctions could be on the cards if Rab continues to show improvement.

But in state relations, nothing is written in stone. The US-Bangladesh relationship is multi-dimensional, involving many aspects and layers. But one may recall the hardening of tones of ruling political parties in recent weeks over the US position on Bangladesh’s rights situation, which has indicated a narrow focus on our priorities and an inability to evolve in the evolving situation. . Will their tough rhetoric continue if the US continues to talk about our rights situation, which it has said it will? Can we expect real progress, not only in bilateral relations but in general, in such an environment? The truth is, despite some statistics and cosmetic gestures, there is little change on the ground, and little reform in the way state agencies approach basic human rights.

So while we appreciate the positive developments of the recent journey, we must reiterate the importance of carrying out institutional reforms to protect people’s rights, including the right to political association and assembly, freedom of speech, the right to vote and have of inclusive elections, etc. The government must respect and establish these rights, not for the benefit of the US, but because it is important for the long-term interests of Bangladesh.

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