Editor,
Military imperatives are shaping the current world order. The exit of the American might from Afghanistan was the beginning of private armies or contractors taking over policy making and conducting the business of war for resources.
Shifting the orbit towards Southeast Asia along the Bay of Bengal, a recent news clipping from The Print states ‘St Martin’s in Bangladesh — the tiny island that Hasina has accused US of wanting and its importance’ just shows how important strategic choke points are for US interests.
A tourist spot could change the fulcrum of politics and geoeconomics if they become SIGINT or listening stations keeping Myanmar which is blessed with rich reserves of jade, rubies and other gemstones or the One Belt One Road initiative by the Chinese within proximity. David Vine, in his book Base Nation, describes why the US military, through their expansion of bases, is a threat to the entire world.
These are few developments over the north-eastern part of where our porous borders are well connected and the staging ground for geopolitical rivalry. In 2023, Bangladesh, through a Russian company Rosatom, received a shipment of uranium for its $12.65 billion Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, showing how diplomatic relationships can stretch further.
In the past few years, we had a share of luck over insurgency not gaining a foothold in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura but as the world becomes flatter, geography can certainly determine our fate.
Christopher Gatphoh,
Laitkor Rngi, Shillong-10
