Deployment of Bangladeshi troops in Iraq

. PHOTO: AFP

To start with, I think he is asking the wrong question. The question we should be asking ourselves is whether it makes sense to send troops to Iraq, given our current interests as a nation, our obligation as a responsible member of the international community, and above all, our moral judgement on this issue.

Considering our interests simply means asking whether sending troops to Iraq will be beneficial for Bangladesh in the long run, and for that, we need to consider both domestic and international issues. Mr. Rana suggests we will become the "hot target" of extremists - the daily newspapers tell us that that is already the case. What we need to prevent is increasing the numbers of their sympathisers by sending our troops to Iraq in a mode that is not acceptable to the general populace. Deploying our troops as an accessory to what is widely perceived as an occupying force will certainly not help in this regard.

On the other hand, we must remember that we are dependent on other nations too, often in crucial ways, and their interests can affect ours. A case in point would be the fact that Bangladesh's liquidity in the international monetary market is largely based on export earnings from the garment industry, and remittances from the Gulf States. Given that the US accounts for about half of the RMG industry, and our manufacturers are desperately trying to arrange for some sort of privileged access and given that that MFA agreement runs out in 2005, sending troops to Iraq would undoubtedly score us some points in Washington. On the other hand, if it turns out that the chances of securing such access is slight, and that we are to lose much of the market to China and India anyway, then we have little to lose in rebuffing US troop requests. It is a similar case with the Gulf States, particularly Saudi Arabia. Because the current proposal for Muslim troops has been tabled by the Saudis, responding favourably to it can provide us with leverage to negotiate a better deal in the manpower market. However, Iraq's governing council is perennially suspicious of its neighbours, and should relations with other Gulf states deteriorate, we will be caught in an uncomfortable position with troops on the ground in Iraq.

So there isn't a simple yes or no answer to whether we should send troops to Iraq as far as our interests are concerned - it, simply put, depends. As a responsible member of the international community, we should seriously consider aiding other member nations of the community if we have the necessary resources and expertise. Our armed forces are one of the best in the world when it comes to keeping peace, as has been demonstrated through various UN missions all over the world, particularly Sierra Leone. There is no doubt that Iraq will present its own unique set of challenges, but in a world where an army that keeps peace is hard to find, I think we have something rare to offer.