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The Islamabad Memorandum: The Cartography of American Retreat and Israel’s Existential Reckoning

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  T he most consequential things about the Islamabad Memorandum are not written in it. What is written, a 14-point framework suspending hostilities, immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, regularising maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz, opening a pathway toward sanctions relief, and establishing a negotiation mechanism for the unresolved nuclear question, is significant enough. But what the document encodes without stating , what it reveals about the structural transformation of American power, and what it portends for Israeli strategic calculus, is where the deeper and more disturbing story resides. History has a habit of disguising turning points as diplomatic events. The 1783 Treaty of Paris did not merely end the American Revolutionary War; it announced that Britain’s unipolar dominance of the Atlantic world was over. The 1956 Suez Crisis did not merely force a Franco-British withdrawal from Egypt; it confir...
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Rohingya repatriation may take years: Why Bangladesh needs an interim strategy by Misbah Chowdhury

  Bangladesh’s response to the Rohingya crisis has been widely recognized as one of the most significant humanitarian gestures of the past decade. By sheltering nearly 1.5 million Rohingya refugees fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar, the country demonstrated moral conviction and regional responsibility. This decision reflected not only state policy but also the compassion of ordinary Bangladeshis living near the camps. Yet nearly a decade later, a difficult truth is becoming unavoidable the crisis is not nearing resolution. The prospects of safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation appear increasingly distant due to Myanmar’s instability, unresolved citizenship issues and the absence of credible guarantees for return. Repatriation remains the only just and durable solution. But Bangladesh must also prepare for a prolonged hosting scenario. That requires an interim strategy balancing humanitarian duty with economic, social and security realities. From Humanitarian Relief t...
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The 16th Social Business Day Celebrates Bangladesh’s Leadership in Building a Three Zero World

  From a humble village initiative in Bangladesh to a worldwide movement for inclusive prosperity, the 16th Social Business Day celebrates the enduring legacy of Professor Muhammad Yunus and the global commitment to building a future founded on the Three Zeros—Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions. F or a few inspiring days, Dhaka once again stood at the center of a global conversation about creating a more just and sustainable world. More than 220 delegates from different countries gathered in Bangladesh’s capital for the 16th Social Business Day, reaffirming the country’s remarkable role in shaping one of the most influential development philosophies of the modern era. The event was much more than an international conference. It was a celebration of an idea that began almost five decades ago in a small Bangladeshi village and has since grown into a worldwide movement. What started in 1976 with a modest loan of US$27 to 42 impoverished women has transforme...
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The Truth About UNHCR in Bangladesh - Wasted Money, Empty Promises by Shafiur Rahman

  The Truth About UNHCR in Bangladesh - Wasted Money, Empty Promises
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UNHCR’s Beautiful Vehicles for the Rohingya Response

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  A multi-million-dollar tale of global waste and customs evasion? SHAFIURRAHMAN JUN 28, 2026 I n a leaving post, a former UNHCR staffer fondly referred to the agency’s “beautiful vehicles”. On its own, that might sound harmless. But read it alongside this UN audit , it becomes an example of the culture the auditors exposed. “Beautiful vehicles.” A former UNHCR staff member poses beside one of the agency’s branded 4x4s. In her leaving post, she referred to UNHCR’s “beautiful vehicles” — a phrase that now reads very differently after a UN audit questioned the agency’s bloated fleet, idle rented cars and expensive parking arrangements in Bangladesh. UNHCR Bangladesh had 100 vehicles across the Rohingya response, but only 29 drivers. Ten vehicles sat non-operational for long periods while the agency still paid more than $80,000 in rental fees for them. It also paid $126,000 a year for an unused motel mainly for parking and storage, while a larger space next door was available for $36...
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