By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
In 2003, under President George W. Bush, the United States accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of possessing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and maintaining ties with Al Qaeda. These allegations – later proven baseless -became the primary justification for the US-led invasion of Iraq. Following the invasion, Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, tried in what can only be described as a politically engineered kangaroo court, convicted of crimes against humanity, and executed by hanging. Years later it was revealed, the allegations of Saddam’s possessing WMD were fabricated propaganda.
The so-called “trial” was nothing but a scripted charade aimed at paving the way for Washington’s true objective: dismantling Iraq’s sovereignty and turning the oil-rich nation into a playground for foreign mercenaries and corporate looters. Handpicked Iraqi expatriates, brought back under the protection of the US military, formed an illegitimate ruling class whose real mission was to plunder Iraq’s wealth and ensure that the country remained dependent on Western powers for decades.
This was not an isolated act. It was part of a much broader and more sinister geopolitical strategy – the US Deep State’s destructive blueprint for regime change – which had already been mapped out for a number of strategically significant nations in the Middle East and beyond. Iraq was just the beginning.
The “Arab Spring” – A controlled wildfire
In the years that followed, the same blueprint would be marketed to the world as the “Arab Spring” – a term coined and glorified by Western media to conceal its actual purpose: destabilizing the Arab world, dismantling nationalist governments, and replacing them with pliant puppet regimes loyal to Washington, NATO, and globalist corporate interests.
Eight years after Iraq’s fall, Egypt became the next major victim. What was packaged as the “25 January Revolution” in 2011 was in reality a meticulously orchestrated uprising. Timed to coincide with Egypt’s National Police Day, the protests were presented as spontaneous reactions to police brutality under President Hosni Mubarak. Yet, in reality, Western-funded activist networks and intelligence operatives had been laying the groundwork for months.
Millions took to the streets, and while genuine grievances did exist, they were skillfully exploited by outside powers. Violent clashes claimed hundreds of lives, and police stations were burned down. Eventually, Mubarak was forced to resign, handing power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
But Egypt’s “democratic transition” was short-lived. In 2012, Mohamed Morsi, a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure and a loyalist of the US Deep State, became president. His Islamist-leaning constitution sparked outrage, leading to his overthrow in 2013 by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi – ironically with the support of millions who had initially backed the “revolution”. The country was left deeply divided, economically unstable, and geopolitically vulnerable.
Libya: From prosperity to chaos
At nearly the same time, in early 2011, Libya was engulfed in a Western-backed rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi. Once one of Africa’s wealthiest nations, with free healthcare, free education, and the highest Human Development Index in the continent, Libya became a war zone.
NATO’s bombing campaign and support for armed rebels resulted in Gaddafi’s brutal murder in October 2011. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya collapsed, and the country fell into chaos. Its vast oil and gas reserves were swiftly brought under Western corporate control, while Libya itself became a hub for human trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime.
Tunisia: The first domino
The “Jasmine Revolution” in Tunisia (2010–2011) is often remembered as the spark that ignited the Arab Spring. But in reality, it was another test-run of the Deep State’s model. The long-time ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted, and the nation was plunged into instability. Western media heralded it as the dawn of democracy, yet over a decade later, Tunisia remains politically fractured, economically weak, and strategically pliable to outside influences.
Ukraine: The new frontline
As the Global South became more aware of these regime-change strategies, the Deep State shifted its focus to Eastern Europe. In Ukraine, the 2014 Maidan uprising – backed by the same US operatives and NGOs – paved the way for the rise of the Zelensky regime.
The West’s narrative of “defending democracy” masked the reality: NATO had installed a government openly allied with neo-Nazi militias. While the conflict with Russia escalated, Washington and its allies exploited Ukraine’s chaos to seize control of its mineral wealth, rare earth reserves, and agricultural lands. Ukraine, like Iraq and Libya before it, is being looted under the pretext of “aid” and “reconstruction”.
Bangladesh – The Deep State’s new target
Fast forward to 2024. Bangladesh, once hailed by the World Bank and IMF as an emerging economic star, has now fallen prey to the same regime-change template.
The US Deep State, working hand-in-hand with Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), executed a carefully coordinated plot to remove Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power on August 5, 2024. Just as in Iraq, Libya, and Egypt, the post-coup regime is dominated by foreign-influenced figures – most notably Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus – whose loyalties lie not with the people of Bangladesh but with their foreign patrons.
The Indian connection
The destabilization of Bangladesh is part of a broader regional strategy that also targets India. Sources indicate that during 2022–2024, Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held multiple secret meetings in the US with notorious regime-change architects such as Victoria Nuland, Donald Lu, and George Soros.
The objective was clear: to weaken Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist government and replace it with a pliant leadership willing to serve Washington’s geopolitical interests. Rahul Gandhi’s willingness to play the role of a Deep State mercenary makes him, in their view, an ideal candidate.
Bangladesh after the coup – economic collapse and rising terrorism
Since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, Bangladesh’s economy has nosedived. Inflation has skyrocketed, GDP growth has stalled, and foreign investment has dried up. Unemployment has surged, and social instability has intensified.
Mob violence has become commonplace, with over 200 reported lynchings – most of the victims being Hindus or Awami League supporters. Corruption, extortion, and land-grabbing by political allies of the Yunus regime have become rampant.
Even more alarming is the surge in Islamist militancy. Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, and other extremist groups are reactivating their networks in Bangladesh. Backed by ISI, over 1.6 million Rohingya refugees and nearly a million Bihari “Stranded Pakistanis” are reportedly undergoing guerrilla and commando training, preparing for cross-border terrorism in India, Myanmar, and beyond.
If these forces are unleashed, the consequences will be catastrophic – not just for South Asia but for Southeast Asia and the Middle East as well.
Targeting the Armed Forces and DGFI
A key objective of the Deep State-backed regime is to dismantle Bangladesh’s military and intelligence infrastructure – particularly the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), which has been one of the most effective counter-terrorism agencies in South Asia.
In a blatant attempt to neutralize the DGFI, the Yunus regime has initiated politically motivated cases against its former chiefs, accusing them of “crimes against humanity”. These actions are cheered on by Western-based Islamist sympathizers and sections of the US Deep State.
The coming storm
If the DGFI is dismantled and the armed forces are infiltrated by Islamist elements, Bangladesh will become a launchpad for terrorism on a scale far exceeding the 9/11 attacks or the 2008 Mumbai massacre. This is not speculation – it is a high-probability scenario based on the trajectory of every other nation where the Deep State’s regime-change model has been successfully implemented.
A global security crisis in the making
Bangladesh’s fall is not just a national tragedy – it is a regional and global security threat. The same forces that turned Iraq, Libya, and Syria into failed states are now entrenched in Dhaka. If the international community, especially India, Thailand, the US, and ASEAN nations, fails to act, they will face the fallout of a terrorist breeding ground right on their doorstep.
The US Deep State’s strategy is brutally simple: destabilize, divide, and dominate. And unless this blueprint is exposed and resisted, Bangladesh will not be the last victim. The question is – who will be next?
(The writer is an award-winning journalist, writer, and Editor of the newspaper Blitz)
