Challenges of Democratic Transition: Bangladesh at a Crossroads
Ali Riaz
Distinguished Professor of Political Science
Illinois State University
Global experience of past twenty-five years shows that while mass movements succeed in toppling dictators, most countries do not succeed in establishing a democratic system. The vexing question is will Bangladesh, which has embarked on a democratic journey after experiencing sixteen years of Sheikh Hasina’s personalistic autocracy, succeed?
Hasina was toppled in a popular uprising in July-August 2024 and fled the country. The country experienced unprecedented atrocities perpetrated by the members of the law enforcement agencies and the activists of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League in the wake of the movement. More than 1400 people were killed and thousands have been injured. The country is currently being governed by an interim government, and an election is scheduled for February 2026.
This presentation examines the challenges for the country drawing on the lessons of democratic transition and the country’s political dynamics involving a wide array of political forces and weak institutions.
Presented by the South Asia Working Group
Cosponsored with the McKenna Center, the Liu Institute, and the Kellogg Institute
Ali Riaz is a distinguished professor of political science at Illinois State University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. He specializes in South Asian politics, political Islam, democratization, and violent extremism, and serves as president of the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS)