Brig Gen Shahedul Anam Khan ndc, psc (Retd)

“When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters: one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”

Much has happened between the time the virus struck in Wuhan in December 2019 and now. By the time this piece appears in print more than a million and a half people around the world in more than 200 countries will have been affected and nearly a hundred thousand will have succumbed to the virus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again exposed our soft underbelly, particularly of the richest and the most militarily powerful countries in the world.

It is not hard to detect the deep sense of remorse in the writer of the article, “Incubator of democracy or lessons to subvert it?”

It couldn’t have been less propitious a time for US President Donald Trump to arrive in Delhi on the final leg of his 36-hour visit to India. Some parts of Delhi were burning as riots broke out in northeast Delhi.

ndifference and apathy are even worse than hatred. And when those are directed to a system rather than an individual, it is dangerous and ominous, even more so when its significance is either not comprehended or disregarded wilfully.

Like many of President Trump’s actions in the last three years, the recently rolled out “Deal of the Century” is a farce. The so-called peace plan was crafted by the President’s son-in-law over the last three years, drawn up without the participation of the only other stakeholder—the Palestinians.

The Dhaka city mayoral elections may be local but they nevertheless evince keen interest at the national level because of the symbolic value that the office of the mayors carry with them.

We are in the clutches of syndicates whose pernicious presence pervades almost every walk of our life.

Readers might be wondering why I chose this line from the famous song immortalised by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez as the heading of this article.

I venture to pen my thoughts on an issue knowing fully well that a recent Facebook posting critical of the Indo-Bangladesh MoU which allows India to draw water from the Feni River to the tune of 1.82 cusec, cost the life of a Buet student at the hands of some reprobates belonging to the BCL cadre.

What we have wit-nessed over the last week, namely, the “discovery” of a large number of casinos, is another instance of the prevalent corruption in, and of, our society. While we have often heard the prime minister expressing her resolve to make the country

he passing away of General Ershad has brought into sharp focus the question of leadership succession in major political parties.

Even the most powerful democracy in the world, whose values had instigated coining of the term “American Exceptionalism” exemplified by the ideals of individual rights and freedom in America, is witnessing a sort of redux of absolutism forcing many to query whether we are seeing the beginning of the end of democracy in that country.

There are certainly many better persons than I who can assess former President HM Ershad more insightfully and, perhaps, more eloquently.

One was willing to credit Trump with some degree of sanity when he rescinded the order to retaliate with force against Iran, till he chose to go for new sanctions.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned to power with a renewed mandate, with more seats and even more percentage of votes. Apparently, Modi’s policies have gone down well with the public as the margin of win on both the counts of number of seats and percentage of votes received, which rose by nearly 33 percent compared to 2014, shows. So, what does another five years of BJP mean for the internal politics of India and its external relationship with its neighbours and the rest of the world?

It is very apparent that President Trump is blowing hot and cold in the same breath on Iran. While one moment it seems that he has climbed down from his high horse on the Iran issue, the next moment he threatens Iran with dire consequences. His confusing stance indicates an ambiguous mind, his actions not a product of rational process of thought but of a mind pulverised by arrogance and clogged by preconceived notions about international issues, particularly Iran and the Middle East.

Understandably, the local leaders of the BNP are finding themselves in Hamlet's shoes having to decide on the next course of action as regards the five of its party men who created a unique record of getting elected, i.e. to join or not to join the parliament?

The greatest gift that a government can earn for itself is the trust of the general public. And the best way to do so is to be transparent on matters of grave public concern and come clean on any policy failures.