Bangladesh–United States relations
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Bangladesh–United States relations
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 Bangladesh |
 United States |
Bangladesh-United States relations are the bilateral relations between the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the United States of America.
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Contents
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History
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Nixon administration in America provided substantial diplomatic assistance to Pakistan and opposed the secession of Bangladesh. Despite the US government's strong stance, which was due to the strategic interests of developing close relations with China through Pakistan, there had been widespread public support for the cause of Bangladesh as world opinion began to be sympathetic towards the plight of Bengali civilians suffering from the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. Influential US lawmakers including Senator Edward Kennedy and cultural figures such as Bob Dylan and Billy Preston engaged in formulating US public opinion against the Nixon administration. The Concert for Bangla Desh was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City during August, 1971 and was the first such charity concert of its kind creating an example for future concerts such as Live Aid. The concert attracted 40,000 people and was organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar.
Initially relations between the two nations were tense owing to Bangladesh's new government pursuing a close relationship with the Soviet Union, which, unlike America at the time, supported the Bangladesh Liberation War in the UN Security Council.
The United States formally recognized Bangladesh on 4 April 1972.[1] The announcement of recognition was made a few hours after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had said the United States consulate in Dhaka would be closed if the United States did not formally recognize Bangladesh.[2] In June 1972, the United States officially upgraded its diplomatic mission in Dhaka to embassy status and pledged US$300 million in aid.[3]
After the changeover of 1975, Bangladesh's military dictators condemned socialist policies of the Mujib era and pursued free market policies and moved towards closer relations with the United States. Since the restoration of democracy in 1991, relations have been further strengthened especially during visits by Bangladeshi and American leaders to each other's countries. United States President Bill Clinton was the first American president to visit the country in 2000.
Bangladesh also contributed significantly to the Operation Desert Storm as part of the multi national coalition to liberate Kuwait where thousands of Bangladeshis were stranded under Iraqi occupation.
Today the relationship between the two countries is based on what is described by American diplomats as the "three Ds", meaning Democracy, Development and Denial of space for terrorism. The United States is closely working with Bangladesh in combating Islamic extremism and terrorism and is providing hundreds of millions of dollars every year in economic assistance.
The United States has also assisted Bangladesh during cyclone relief operations in 1991 and 2007. Operation Sea Angel One in 1991 nd Operation Sea Angel Two in 2007 saw US Marines actively joining Bangladeshi troops in providing relief to thousands of people in southern Bangladesh who suffered as a result of the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone and Cyclone Sidr.
Bangladesh also offered to donate $1,000,000 to the United States after Hurricane Katrina struck the US in 2005[citation needed].
Principal U.S. Officials
Diplomatic missions
The U.S. Embassy in located in Dhaka.
References
- ^ "U.S. Recognizes Bangladesh State". United Press International. The Montreal Gazette. 5 April 1972. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=P8UtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j6EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7437,7587365&dq=bangladesh+recognize&hl=en.
- ^ "U.S. Grants Bangladesh Recognition". United Press International. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: Boca Raton News, via Google News. 4 April 1972. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gf5TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LI0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6561,3944290&dq=bangladesh+embassy+united+states&hl=en.
- ^ Newsom, Phil (1 June 1972). "U.S. Strives to Improve Relations with Bangladesh". United Press International. Beaver, Pennsylvania, USA: Beaver County Times, via Google News. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bLEiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PbMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5951,588675&dq=bangladesh+embassy+united+states&hl=en.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).
External links
Media related to Bangladesh – United States relations at Wikimedia Commons
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