Counterpoint

Which Charter Reforms Are You Voting For? No One Knows.

David Bergman

The wording in the referendum question, set out in the four separate categories of reforms, only clearly match with 20 of the 47 numbered proposals set out in the July Charter

Bangladesh's Draft AI Policy: Vision Needs Velocity

Zunaid Kazi

Success depends on three commitments that cannot be deferred: Speed. Visible, funded action in year one. Not plans for action. Action. Resources. Specific, budgeted commitments, not proposals

DNCC Rent Control Will Cause More Problems Than It Solves

Raisul Sourav

The government and the local authorities must focus on establishing a quickly implementable, balanced and transparent legal framework, not an imaginary policy. Otherwise, this guideline will remain on paper as always, and homeowners and tenants will bear the consequences.

My Prediction About the Election

Asif Shahan

Jamaat can only win if this is a wave election, signaling a tectonic shift in the national mood. There is little evidence of this in the polls and available data. It is possible, but not probable.

Can the 2026 Election and Referendum Heal Bangladesh’s Long Democratic Wounds?

A Gafur

The question is not whether this election will solve all of Bangladesh’s problems, it will not. The real question is whether it can reopen a democratic pathway that has long been blocked.

Bangladesh’s Referendum: A Constitutional Crisis in the Making

Kollol Kibria

Bangladesh’s citizens face a crucial choice: Will they allow the state to bypass constitutional limits, pressure institutions, and control the vote, or will they insist that the Constitution not the government remains the ultimate authority?

Why Elections Matter for the Economy

Mahir Tajwar Khan Herok

Bangladesh has tremendous potential to grow both economically and institutionally but the growth depends on the trust that people and investors place in its institutions, and that trust is nurtured through elections that are fair, transparent, and conducted with integrity.

Without Central Bank Independence, No Other Reform Will Matter

Kazi Zahin Hasan

An independent central bank could have prevented bank fraud and inflation. There is no alternative unless we want to return to the bad old days of high inflation and a plummeting Taka.

An Egg Today or a Chicken Tomorrow: The Economics of Time and Trust

Tashzid Reza

Ultimately, the wisdom of “an egg today is better than a chicken tomorrow” is not a rejection of the future. It is a reminder that time, risk, and trust matter. The future must earn its value; it cannot merely be promised

Dhaka-8 and the Politics of Trolling

Shafquat Rabbee

Trolling is hit-or-miss politics. It is unstable, often unserious, and frequently destructive to governance. But when it works, its impact is asymmetrical -- geometric, even gigantic-- compared to traditional campaigning.

Fear, Fragmentation, and an Uncertain Election

Cynthia Farid

The greater challenge lies not in predicting who will dominate a flawed structure, but in recognizing how much uncertainty -- political, institutional, and informational -- has been baked into its foundations and may reflect in the vote itself.

Why Peace Cannot Be Built on Division

MD Sariful Islam

As Bangladesh prepares for the long-awaited national election, it is important to remember that strengthening democracy and building peace on the foundation of collective amnesia will be a disaster for our nation.

An Open Letter to Barrister Zaima Rahman

Ashraf Ud Doula

Whatever path you ultimately choose, I offer you my sincere best wishes. May your journey ahead be guided by wisdom, courage, and purpose -- and may it be as smooth and fulfilling as destiny permits.

The Politics of Responsibility and Compassion

Jyoti Rahman

Every Muslim knows the phrase Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim -- the most Beneficent, the most Compassionate. Can we reorient our moral compass towards the politics of responsibility and compassion?

Who Should Speak About Earthquakes?

Sirajur Rahman Khan

Responsibility for earthquake and tectonic matters should logically rest with the Geological Survey of Bangladesh. What scientists can do is identify risk zones and recommend safer building practices.

The Problem with the Referendum

Ryan Kabir

What we have here is selective presentation designed to secure approval through incomplete information. The ballot emphasizes what is popular; the fine print includes what is contentious.

Teesta Without Tripwires

Nazrul Islam

Whatever the causes, Bangladesh cannot wait indefinitely. It must build damage-reducing infrastructure without delay. This does not replace a water-sharing settlement; it reduces damage while politics drags on, and it must be designed with geo-politics in mind.

Will Turning Korail Into a High-Rise Solve the Problem? Not So Fast.

Mariha Tahsin

The Korail high-rise promise is not just a construction project. It is a governance challenge shaped by misaligned incentives, fragmented land control, extreme density, contested beneficiary selection, weak tenure enforcement, and post move-in affordability.

Too Shallow to Dive

Shanim Tasnim

I’m not against using AI, I never was. I just want you to use it cautiously. Because the more you are replacing AI with your own mind, the more it will take space in your soul. If we keep asking AI solutions for every simple problem, our mind will become too fragile to face challenges.

The Middle Eastern Job Market Is Dead

Kawsar Chowdhury

The countries that thrive in the next decade will be those that export skilled humans -- not bodies. The countries that survive will be those that build talent -- not hope for visas. And the countries that collapse will be those that cling to dead models and call it “tradition.”

Where War Turned to Wonder

Sharin Shajahan Naomi

Superpowers are increasingly reluctant to send their children into combat and expose them to trauma. This gradual shift  has opened vast, hard-to-predict possibilities for new forms of warfare with their effects rippling outward like the countless waves of the sea.

Can We Critically Look at People’s Movements?

Muhaimen Siddiquee

If states tighten control over digital spaces to prevent manipulation, how do democracies function? How do we distinguish between organic, bottom-up people’s movements and those that are partially orchestrated or externally influenced?

What Should Be the Foreign Policy Priorities of the Next Government

Nazmus Sakib and Muhib Rahman

A Bangladesh that wants diplomatic space to grow must first secure strategic space. If it wants autonomy, it must first make coercion unprofitable. That is the hard, unromantic truth of the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be.

What Dr Yunus Got Right, and What He Didn't

Mir Aftabuddin Ahmed

Bangladesh will remember the outgoing Chief Adviser with respect for stepping up when the country desperately needed him. His record in government is, predictably, mixed. Was it fair to have expected more?

Emerging Markets Monitor

Emerging World

Key Stories Shaping Emerging Markets: Thai Election Fuels Stock Market Rise, EM Rises as Wall Street Looks Global, The Race for Brazil Rare Earths, US-Bangladesh Trade Deal, Uber Buys Getir Stake from Mubadala

How Do We Stop Giant Corporations Taking Over Bangladesh?

Manzur Rahman

Society needs a new compact to rein in the empire of corporate giants. This is as true for Bangladesh as it is for the rest of the world. Else we will all descend into the servitude of a new feudal system headed by giant corporations and the handful of their beneficiaries.

Building Bangladesh’s Next Multi-Billion-Dollar Export Industry

Kawsar Chowdhury

The global shortage is real. The demand is guaranteed. The opportunity is enormous.

Bridging Divides: Taslima Akhter and Bangladesh’s Śromik and Nārī Andolon

Dina M. Siddiqi and Hasan Ashraf

Lima’s commitment to centering worker’s voices and futures, and the combination of pragmatism and integrity that drives her have been on full display in the past two decades, long before the most recent elections were announced. Equally at ease organizing in the industrial belts as in negotiating policy reform in Dhaka or Geneva, she is exactly the kind of candidate the country needs right now.

The Song Remains: Freedom, Memory, and the Refusal to Forget

Shamaruh Mirza

Whether it is a party that markets itself as the sole heir of 1971, or a hardline movement that once mocked that struggle and now sanitizes its record, the exploitation is the same. Both seek to convert freedom into political capital. Both demand that citizens forget what they saw and felt. Both ask us to trade memory for myth.

The Great Blue Jeans War: How Sydney Sweeney’s Genes Powered Trump’s Spectacle Engine

Zakir Kibria

The question for a republic is whether it can learn to look away from the dazzling, authoritarian image long enough to see -- and rebuild -- the dull, demanding, and essential foundations of a reality-based politics.

The J Z Show। Ep 15 । Md Rubaiyath Sarwar | Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

The J Z Show। Ep 13 । Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

Tarique Rahman's Homecoming and New Political Alignments

The J Z Show। Ep 12 । Zafar Sobhan। Jon Danilowicz

Zafar Sobhan

Hadi dead. Daily Star and Prothom Alo Attacked. What Next?

Counterpoint Generations | Ep 8

Zafar Sobhan

In Episode 8 of Counterpoint Generations, the discussion explores Bangladesh’s electoral journey from the 1970 election to the present, examining how voting behaviour, political participation, and institutions have evolved over time. The episode also addresses contemporary questions around minority voting patterns, and why opinion polls often fail to predict real outcomes. A reflective conversation on elections, uncertainty, and democratic change.

Counterpoint Generations | EP 7 | Professor Rehman Sobhan | Zafar Sobhan

Zafar Sobhan

In Episode 7 of Counterpoint Generations, Zafar Sobhan and Professor Rehman Sobhan discuss Manchester United’s recent win, revisit how their shared love for football began, and reflect on the current state of global and Bangladeshi football.

Counterpoint Generations | Episode 4

Zafar Sobhan

A timely conversation on media, culture, and power, as Professor Rehman Sobhan and Zafar Sobhan reflect on recent events shaping Bangladesh’s democratic landscape.