We must protect our national interest: Humayun Kabir
Humayun Kabir, former ambassador of Bangladesh to the United States, has emphasised protesting national interest, commenting that it remains unchanged even through transitions in government.
"The government may change, but national interests do not change," he said during a national dialogue hosted by the Forum for Bangladesh Studies at the Krishibid Institute Bangladesh.
"Even if we talk about the last 15 years, I feel that for the past 53 years, we have been regime-centric. We have been talking according to whichever government is in power at the time. As a result, I have not been able to establish any continuous framework.
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"We are always transaction-based. We do not easily adopt long-term policies," he said, stressing that national interests in foreign policy should be consistent.
The core of national interests is the interest of the people, he noted. "So, whichever government is in power, if it truly believes in the interests of the people, it must first work in their favour, and then it can approach the issues in its own way."
He said Bangladesh's foreign policy has been reactive so far. "We react when events occur. But with the geopolitical strategies now in play, Bangladesh will not be able to survive by being reactive. The Rohingya crisis is a prime example. After it happened, we are now trying to resolve the issue. We had an opportunity to prevent it in the beginning, but we failed to take action. For the future, we need to be proactive to avoid such situations."
