Home » Publications » Vol. 22, No. 1 (2026) » Between Giants and Tides: Bangladesh’s Struggle for Space in the Bay of Bengal and Indo-Pacific Politics

Between Giants and Tides: Bangladesh’s Struggle for Space in the Bay of Bengal and Indo-Pacific Politics

ABSTRACT

This article explores how Bangladesh navigates its foreign policy and security interests within an increasingly contested maritime space shaped by the rivalries of China, India, the United States (US) and other regional actors. Amid the strengthening of planned competition in the Indo-Pacific, the Bay of Bengal is now acting as a critical geopolitical arena because Bangladesh sits at that intersection of regional and also global power dynamics. The study examines all of Bangladesh’s efforts towards balancing economic partnerships with calculated autonomy for regional cooperation. Geopolitical analysis and policy review inform its actions amid infrastructure diplomacy, military posturing, and shifting alliances. National sovereignty and maritime security with sustainable development are implications highlighted in this article. It claims that Bangladesh’s geopolitical trouble comes not just from location, but also from Indo-Pacific political shifts where smaller nations should use careful tact to protect their own goals.

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