U.S. REGIME CHANGE IN BANGLADESH: CONSTRUCTING A VASSAL STATE

On the fateful days of 5th and 8th August 2024, Bangladesh was thrust into the whirlpool of history by forces far beyond its shores. On 5th August, Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, the longest-serving elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh, was deposed in an unlawful and orchestrated coup d’état, a political crime executed with chilling precision. Only three days later, on 8th August, Dr. Muhammad Yunus—a figure long cultivated by Western capitals, paraded as a “global saint” and Nobel laureate—was unlawfully installed upon the throne of Bangladesh.

Behind this brutal theater stood the shadow of the American deep state, led by the CIA, which has for decades engineered regime changes across continents under the guise of democracy, human rights, and free markets. For Bangladesh, the coup was not merely a change of leadership—it was a calculated seizure of sovereignty, a reconfiguration of the nation’s destiny to serve Washington’s geostrategic ambitions.

The Geopolitical Chessboard: Bangladesh as a Prize

Bangladesh is no marginal state. With a population of more than 180 million, one of the fastest-growing economies in South Asia, and strategic geography commanding the Bay of Bengal, it has become an irresistible pawn in the new great game of global power politics.

The CIA’s intervention in 2024 was not about democracy; it was about geography. It was about Saint Martin’s Island, a jewel in the Bay of Bengal, now bristling with American soldiers. It was about Chattogram Port, the gateway to the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean, which Washington is hastily transforming into a forward military base. It was about denying China, curtailing India, and transforming Bangladesh into a submissive vassal state, stripped of its sovereign will.

The U.S. has long feared China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and Dhaka under Sheikh Hasina had carefully balanced relations with both Beijing and New Delhi while fiercely safeguarding Bangladesh’s independence. That balance was intolerable to Washington. To the American deep state, neutrality is betrayal, and sovereignty is insubordination.

The Script of Regime Change

History bears witness to America’s long tradition of subversion. From Iran in 1953, when the CIA toppled Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh for daring to nationalize oil, to Chile in 1973, when Salvador Allende was overthrown, to Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011, where bombs replaced ballots—the story is the same.

Bangladesh has now joined this tragic register. Sheikh Hasina, who steered Bangladesh towards unprecedented development, poverty alleviation, digital transformation, and international recognition, became too independent for Washington’s liking. She dared to reject American dictates, deepen cooperation with Beijing, and assert Bangladesh’s sovereign path. For this, she had to be removed.

The CIA’s fingerprints are visible everywhere. Its strategy was the classic formula:

Thus, on 8th August 2024, the stage was set: a puppet enthroned, sovereignty sacrificed, and the tricolor of Bangladesh eclipsed beneath the shadow of the Stars and Stripes.

The Military Factor: Bangladesh’s Armed Forces in Chains

No coup succeeds without the complicity of the military—or at least its paralysis. In 2024, parts of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, historically trained and influenced by the Pentagon, were pressured into complicity. The military’s neutrality was undermined by back-channel promises, threats of sanctions, and covert intelligence operations.

Yet, America’s motives were not about empowering the military; it was about using it as a shield for its new puppet regime. With Chattogram Port now crawling with American troops and plans for a permanent base already in motion, the very independence of Bangladesh’s armed forces has been compromised. Once defenders of national sovereignty, they risk becoming enforcers of foreign dictates.

A Vassal State in the Making

The tragedy of Bangladesh today is the systematic stripping of independence. A sovereign republic, born in 1971 through the blood of three million martyrs and the suffering of countless women, has now been reduced to a client state. This is no longer the Bangladesh that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dreamed of, nor the Bangladesh for which Mukti Bahini fighters laid down their lives in 1971.

Saint Martin’s Island is no longer a serene paradise but a forward outpost of the Pentagon. Chattogram Port, once the artery of national commerce, is being reshaped into an American fortress. Policies are no longer written in Dhaka but dictated from Washington.

The United States has stationed a significant contingent of military personnel, aircraft, helicopters, and advanced hardware in Chittagong and on Saint Martin's Island, where the rapid development of a strategic military base is currently underway.

Dr. Yunus, cloaked in his Nobel halo, functions as nothing more than a pro-consul of the US empire, presiding over the surrender of his nation’s dignity to them.

China, India, and the South Asian Balance

Why does Bangladesh matter so much? Because South Asia is the pivot of the 21st century. China’s rise, India’s assertiveness, and the contested waters of the Indo-Pacific all converge on the Bay of Bengal. By controlling Bangladesh, Washington hopes to throttle China’s maritime ambitions, curb India’s independent maneuvers, and retain hegemonic dominance in Asia.

Yet this imperial overreach is shortsighted. China will not abandon its Belt and Road projects. India, despite its quiet acquiescence to Hasina’s ouster, will not accept an American garrison in its backyard forever. The people of Bangladesh, resilient and defiant, will not endure perpetual vassalage. History teaches us those foreign puppets, however gilded, eventually fall.

The Betrayal of 1971

For those who fought in the Liberation War, today’s reality is unbearable. Bangladesh was not born to be an appendage of empire. It was born of blood, sacrifice, and the dream of self-determination. In 1971, Pakistani butchers massacred millions while their patrons in Washington armed and shielded them. Now, five decades later, the same imperial hand has returned—not with tanks this time, but with sanctions, intrigue, and puppets.

To see the flag of Bangladesh reduced to a token in Washington’s game is to desecrate the memory of the martyrs of 1971. As Rabindranath Tagore once wrote, “Freedom is the soul’s right to breathe.” Today, America has stolen that breath from Bangladesh.

The Path Forward

Yet history is not destiny. Bangladesh has endured occupation, famine, and betrayal before, and each time it has risen anew. The present indignity must be temporary, for no nation can long endure in chains. The puppet regime of Dr. Yunus is fragile, for it rests not on the people’s consent but on the bayonets of foreigners and the illusions of empire.

The task for Bangladeshis is clear:

The task for the world is equally clear: to see beyond Washington’s propaganda, to recognize the rightful will of the Bangladesh’s people, and to stand with us in ourstruggle for freedom.

Concluding Points: A Nation in Chains, But Not Forever

In the end, the CIA’s coup of August 2024 is not about Yunus, nor even about Hasina—it is about the eternal conflict between sovereignty and empire. America, fearing decline, seeks new vassals. Bangladesh, rich in spirit and history, refuses to be one.

Yes, today Saint Martin’s Island bristles with foreign troops, and Chattogram Port trembles under foreign boots. Yes, today a puppet presides in Dhaka, and Washington pulls the strings. But tomorrow is unwritten.

As Victor Hugo once declared, “No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come.” The idea of a free, sovereign Bangladesh was born in 1971 in fire and blood. No empire—American or otherwise—can extinguish it.

By: Anwar A. Khan

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