The Analysis of Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy Activities in 1971-2006 in terms of Critical Geopolitics

Abstract

In the 1980s, the concept of ‘critical geopolitics’ emerged as a new approach in international relations analysis by criticizing the ‘classical geopolitical theory’. This concept, which investigates the position of a country in the international arena by focusing on the foreign policy activities of different units and organizations of a country, has attracted a lot of attention in ‘geopolitics’ studies. In this study, foreign policy activities and the roles of Bangladesh in international and regional organizations between 1971 to 2006 were analyzed in terms of ‘critical geopolitics’. In the study, it was seen that Bangladesh, which gained its independence after the war against Pakistan, which was an ally of the USA and China during the cold war and which was the biggest Muslim country in South Asia, was very successful in its foreign policy activities in the first years. Especially, gaining membership in international organizations in a very short time, developing bilateral relations with Pakistan, China and the USA and Muslim countries very quickly, and putting forward the idea of regional cooperation efforts and promoting efforts to protect world peace have facilitated the strengthening of Bangladesh’s geopolitical position. Due to its active role in the international arena, Bangladesh has been seen to have its own economic interests. Due to its active role in the international arena, Bangladesh also gained its own economic interests.