South Asia Has a New Economic Leader. Will the World Take Note?

[DalalErMaNodi]

Let's try to be like Korea + Switzerland , peaceful but packs a great punch

Haha, yeah as @Michael Corleone says 'Smallest chilies, Pack the biggest punch'....

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Dawg

I am older than the Bangla state. I can remember the 1971 war and comments I heard from my elders about Banglas which were less than flattering. Then I remember the country beiung called a "basket case". I also know that they live on a land that is barely above the sea. Starting from a shattered, war torn country to where they are now is nothing less than a miracle. As I said I have and am still easily able to say some horrid things about these people.

But for all that I can also see what they have achieved is incredible. So this tells us this country will go far. And I particularly salute it for having a no nonsense outlook sans any illusions of ummah or other power trips like thinking it is a citadel of Islam. Instead they have worked hard and show that hard work can deliver. Compare our "tax giving tiger" aka Karachi then compare with Dhaka and how much it exports. I can't avoid running into products with "Made in Bangla" here in UK. This deserves respect?

You hear me Groid?

 

[Gibbs]

Why are south Asians this fücked , why have East Asians become much more developed and we're over comparing who's dïcks one centimeter longer ?

Religious nationalism, East Asians separate religion from the state and state building, South Asians are held back by religious dogma and superstitions.. There is a direct correlation with poverty illiteracy and religion.. Most religious/superstitious nations in the world just happen to be the poorest and most corrupt with exceptions in the Arabian gulf for obvious reasons of wealth from fossil fuels but lacking in human capital basically their economies are run by Westerns expats

 

[Indus Pakistan]

South Asians are held back by religious dogma and superstitions.. There is a direct correlation with poverty illiteracy and religion

I absolutely agree with you on this. You can write a thesis and list 100 reasons but the number one is this and responsible for 99% of the backwardness. Most of the ret follow or flow from this.

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

I am older than the Bangla state. I can remember the 1971 war and comments I heard from my elders about Banglas which were less than flattering. Then I remember the country beiung called a "basket case". I also know that they live on a land that is barely above the sea. Starting from a shattered, war torn country to where they are now is nothing less than a miracle. As I said I have and am still easily able to say some horrid things about these people.

But for all that I can also see what they have achieved is incredible. So this tells us this country will go far. And I particularly salute it for having a no nonsense outlook sans any illusions of ummah or other power trips like thinking it is a citadel of Islam. Instead they have worked hard and show that hard work can deliver. Compare our "tax giving tiger" aka Karachi then compare with Dhaka and how much it exports. I can't avoid running into products with "Made in Bangla" here in UK. This deserves respect?

You hear me Groid?

I winced at 'dawg' too.



Thank you for your kind comments, I follow your posts, you're a friend of Bangladesh and someone who has their head screwed on right.

Religious nationalism, East Asians separate religion from the state and state building, South Asians are held back by religious dogma and superstitions.. There is a direct correlation with poverty illiteracy and religion.. Most religious/superstitious nations in the world just happen to be the poorest and most corrupt with exceptions in the Arabian gulf for obvious reasons of wealth from fossil fuels but lacking in human capital basically their economies are run by Westerns expats

I think we in Bangladesh are lucky, our interpretation of Islam is very moderate (how it's meant to be) and we have a culture that promotes free thought.


We were able to empower our women better than the rest of South Asia, this is key.


Women account for 37% of our workforce and 90% of garment worker, garments mind you propels Bangladesh forward.



More girls are enrolled in schools than boys and education is completely free for girls.



All of this helps, women made our rapid development possible.

 

[KaiserX]

Well done Banglas. Although I hate to admit but Banglas are proving to be a remarkable people -

• you guys killed the Two Nation Theory and in it's stead placed the Three Nation Theory.
• you built a secular, ethnic based state free from the evil of mullahs
• now you are building a economy that is heading to be best in South Asia.

Bangladesh is still technically occupied east Pakistan and will remain so until the inevitable union is complete.

 

[SpaceMan18]

I winced at 'dawg' too.



Thank you for your kind comments, I follow your posts, you're a friend of Bangladesh and someone who has their head screwed on right.




I think we in Bangladesh are lucky, our interpretation of Islam is very moderate (how it's meant to be) and we have a culture that promotes free thought.


We were able to empower our women better than the rest of South Asia, this is key.


Women account for 37% of our workforce and 90% of garment worker, garments mind you propels Bangladesh forward.



More girls are enrolled in schools than boys and education is completely free for girls.



All of this helps, women made our rapid development possible.

True , hey what's wrong with dawg lol ?


Anyways we still need to protect our women against ràpists , and yeah we have moderate Islam and Bengali culture is supposed to be progressive.

But again just like the Protestant reformation that happened in Europe , we need our own version where we seprate religion from normal life which has human rights.

Reglion should not interfere with modern Bangladesh , we should enforce secular laws.

We are all Bangaldeshis in the end of the day , Bangladesh only hope is its people.

We gotta get out of this 7th century mindset and think progressive

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

True , hey what's wrong with dawg lol ?


Anyways we still need to protect our women against ràpists , and yeah we have moderate Islam and Bengali culture is supposed to be progressive.

But again just like the Protestant reformation that happened in Europe , we need our own version where we seprate religion from normal life which has human rights.

Reglion should not interfere with modern Bangladesh , we should enforce secular laws.

We are all Bangaldeshis in the end of the day , Bangladesh only hope is its people.

We gotta get out of this 7th century mindset and think progressive

I don't know, 'dawg' sounds more offensive than it is endearing.


Besides, I don't live in America, so I don't understand what half of these ghetto speak terms even mean.


I'm assuming dawg means something along the lines of dude ?

 

[SpaceMan18]

I don't know, 'dawg' sounds more offensive than it is endearing.


Besides, I don't live in America, so I don't understand what half of these ghetto speak terms even mean.


I'm assuming dawg means something along the lines of dude ?

Yea lol , I'm pretty used to saying that it isn't offensive

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Bangladesh is still technically occupied east Pakistan and will remain so until the inevitable union is complete.

Actually incorrect. Look at this below.

Do you think the smaller piece broke from the mug or the larger piece broke from the mug. Logic would tell you smaller piece "broke off". Fact is Bangladesh is made up East Pakistan which had the larger population. So if anything we are the "stray" of the erstwhile Pakistan v.01. Bangla is the rightfull evolution of the Pakistan V.01 as birthed by Jinnah.

 

[SpaceMan18]

Actually incorrect. Look at this below.

View attachment 682130

Do you think the smaller piece broke from the mug or the larger piece broke from the mug. Logic would tell you smaller piece "broke off". Fact is Bangladesh is made up East Pakistan which had the larger population. So if anything we are the "stray" of the erstwhile Pakistan v.01. Bangla is the rightfull evolution of the Pakistan V.01 as birthed by Jinnah.

True , I mean we " Bengali " people are technically a bit different people and we think much differently lol but yeah.

Evolution , what's this Pokimon ?


Also rip cup 1945-2020

 

[KaiserX]

Actually incorrect. Look at this below.

View attachment 682130

Do you think the smaller piece broke from the mug or the larger piece broke from the mug. Logic would tell you smaller piece "broke off". Fact is Bangladesh is made up East Pakistan which had the larger population. So if anything we are the "stray" of the erstwhile Pakistan v.01. Bangla is the rightfull evolution of the Pakistan V.01 as birthed by Jinnah.

That doesnt make sense... I agree where you are coming from though, originally it was the bengalis who fought harder for a Pakistan but the reality post 1971 is much different now. Even most bengalis realize now the mistakes that were made living under hindu/liberal/secular rule.

And any Pakistani nationalist will always look at that land as occupied east Pakistan because our forefathers where from there and Dhaka will always hold a special place in Pakistans inception.

 

[peagle]

Bangladesh — the overcrowded, overpopulated flood-prone state that, founded in 1971, is barely older than the internet — is now one of the richest countries in South Asia. The region was rocked by this week’s data that Bangladesh’s GDP per capita will exceed India’s this year, despite India having a 25 percent lead just five years ago.

There is no doubt about what has tipped the balance: COVID-19. While India has struggled to bring the virus under control, Bangladesh’s data-led innovative public health approach and rapidly improving digital infrastructure has allowed the economy to continue growing. But will the world take note, and realize that there are newer (and more stable) South Asian partners beyond the traditional ones? Will the new “Global Britain” prioritize the Bengal Tiger for a trade deal? And will the U.S. president (whether that’s Donald Trump or Joe Biden, come January 2021) consider Bangladesh a priority in South Asia, or stick with familiar partners?

Certainly this news will change the calculus by which an economy — and a nation state’s — strength is judged. Rather than just looking at a country’s currency, exports, and governance, its biosecurity capacity will now be seen as something as pivotal as national security — an area of policy that can make or break everything else.

It is not just Bangladesh’s growth that has contributed to this result, but India’s decline after severely mismanaging both the health and economic fallout of the pandemic.

China is the best example of how swift and effective pandemic management can support continued economic growth (consumer spending there has already returned to pre-pandemic levels and its GDP grew 5 percent in the last quarter).

But China is an extreme case — there will be many winners across the world. And there will inevitably be some who can learn a great deal from those winners, and avoid further blunders.

This change in South Asia’s economic pecking order, combined with improving social indicators and rapid digitalization, could mean that many global powers will pivot more of their attention toward Dhaka.

The shift is overdue. Since India’s independence, it has understandably been the focus of the region’s economic and political activity. The region itself is often referred to as the Indian Subcontinent, perhaps a colonial hangover based on generations of Brits who interacted with an India that was essentially the only significant state in the region (not only modern day Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also Burmese territory was part of Colonial India).

But now things have changed, most notably in Bangladesh. Avoiding the tribal or sectarian divisions that have plagued Pakistan and increasingly blighted India, Dhaka has created a resilient economy and society, and maintained a diplomatic strategy that allows strategic partnerships with a range of competing world powers.

Economically, it would be unfair to describe its GDP per capita eclipsing India’s as a pandemic-related fluke: Bangladesh has long been one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and has recently entered the ranks of middle income countries, with the aim of becoming a developed country by 2041.

Its society has developed almost as quickly as its economy. Gender equality and women’s rights are on the march, with the death penalty recently being implemented for rapists, in a sign that the female-led country will not tolerate the violence against women that is so systemic in other parts of the region.

All this is underpinned by an ambitious digitization strategy led by a2i, a tech and digital transformation department founded by the Prime Minister’s Office. As digital economic inclusion is rolled out across the country, expect to see more tech startups like ShopUp, which this week raised $22.5 million from leading Venture Capital firm Sequioa. Free Economic Zones, like the one set up in conjunction with Japan’s government last month (Tokyo’s biggest investment in South Asia), will speed up the process.

Beyond economic growth, the realignment of power across South Asia raises important diplomatic opportunities. As the United States attempts to maintain its role in the region, Bangladesh may be a crucial partner, particularly given Dhaka’s strategic partnership with Beijing.

Similarly for the U.K., perhaps London will follow in Tokyo’s footsteps and prioritize the relationship with Bangladesh. A U.K.-Bangladesh trade deal would be a strong start to Britain’s post-EU strategy, with a significant portion of Bangladesh’s garment sector being dependent on U.K. consumers.

It has become common for political leaders to claim that they will “build back better” after COVID-19, with the slogan appearing across the world and capturing many people’s hopes. As we build back better, we should remember that the building blocks are not the same as they were before the pandemic. Nowhere is that truer than in South Asia.

South Asia Has a New Economic Leader. Will the World Take Note?

COVID-19 has made Bangladesh richer per capita than India. Will diplomatic partners shift their strategies as a result?

thediplomat.com

Economic leader claim is a bit of a stretch.

But, Bangladesh indeed has done well, and on track to do better. Which is good.
Let's see what happens, too much excitement too soon is never a good idea.

 

[SpaceMan18]

That doesnt make sense... I agree where you are coming from though, originally it was the bengalis who fought harder for a Pakistan but the reality post 1971 is much different now. Even most bengalis realize now the mistakes that were made living under hindu/liberal/secular rule.

And any Pakistani nationalist will always look at that land as occupied east Pakistan because our forefathers where from there and Dhaka will always hold a special place in Pakistans inception.

Secular isn't bad , it's just autistic Indian influence being an issue.

Economic leader claim is a bit of a stretch.

But, Bangladesh indeed has done well, and on track to do better. Which is good.
Let's see what happens, too much excitement too soon is never a good idea.

I agree, I mean we can be a leader but first let's clean our own mess before hitting for the main target

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Thank you for your kind comments, I follow your posts, you're a friend of Bangladesh and someone who has their head screwed on right.

No need for any apologies. You got to understand I grew under a cloud of latent and at times crass culture of racism against Banglas. My uncle was a soldier in 1971 [many of my family served in Pakistan serve/served PA] and his stories infected us all. My father still despises Bangla people. And I also got infected with that.

But I can see how Bangla has clawed itself to where it is despite inpossible odds. Over population, difficult geography, difficult climate etc. All I know is when I shop for my clothes I can't avoid "Made In Bangla". The quality shirt I am wearing has BD tag on it.