The role of the United States and its government agencies in the undemocratic ouster of Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is becoming clearer by the day.
The controversial United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed an agreement to provide $202 million (~2414 crore Taka) to the interim government in Bangladesh, led by ‘American asset‘ Muhammad Yunus.
The objective ‘on paper’ behind the financial aid is supposedly to empower youth, strengthen democracy and governance and bring about development in Bangladesh.
Driving greater prosperity: @USAID signed an agreement worth over $200 million with the Bangladesh interim government to advance development, empower youth, strengthen democracy & governance, improve health and expand trade & economic opportunities to people across the country. pic.twitter.com/Gs76bY76Ch
— USAID Bangladesh (@USAID_BD) September 15, 2024
Reportedly, USAID has shelled out $425 million so far and has committed about $954 million to Bangladesh between 2021 and 2026.
The large influx of capital into the dwindling economy of Bangladesh by the US is not just merely out of goodwill, as the deep state would want us to believe.
USAID is one of the several government agencies used by the United States to peddle influence in other nations. This includes building public consensus and furthering strategic interests such as setting up a military base on Saint Martin Island.
On Sunday (15th September), The Sunday Guardian published an explosive piece wherein it revealed that the US administration and its agencies had been conspiring against the Sheikh Hasina-led-government in Bangladesh since March 2019.
Based on its access to classified documents, the weekly newspaper stated that the US government-funded non-profit organisation named International Republican Institute (IRI) is at the helm of the regime change operation.
“The IRI…was implementing the broader objectives of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The documents also show how the project was necessary to counter-balance India’s “interference”,” the report stated.
A nefarious programme called PARIS
The Sunday Guardian noted that IRI is tasked to implement projects, funded by USAID, including a sinister programme named PARIS (Promoting Accountability, Inclusivity, and Resiliency Support Program.”
It ran from March 2019 to January 2021 during which it ‘enhanced political participation’ of Bangladeshis and amplified ‘anti-authoritarianism voices.
“IRI implemented a broad-based social empowerment project that fostered and expanded citizen-centered, local and non-traditional forums for political engagement,” the newspaper noted.
The International Republican Institute issued 11 advocacy grants, created 225 ‘art products’ to address social issues, supporters 3 civil society organisations, trained 77 activists, engaged 326 citizens to develop 43 specific policy demands, which were later proposed before 65 Bangladeshi govt officials.
According to The Sunday Guardian, IRI (tasked to implement USAID-funded projects) lamented that the Covid-19 situation did not create enough public resentment to stir a regime change/
“The health and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic had the potential to destabilize Bangladesh’s politics. However, death rates in Bangladesh remained low and the economy recovered despite dire projections,” it stated.
Similarly, it stated that PAIRS would be relevant in wake of the digital security act that was passed by Hasina, curbing social media freedom and how it planned to rope in individuals to work for it rather than civil society organizations.
IRI therefore drafted a shrewd political strategy to unseat Sheikh Hasina. In its own report, IRI noted, “In Bangladesh’s closing space environment, IRI designed a creative programmatic approach to push back against anti-democratic trends as well as find space where immediate progress could be made…Through the approaches, IRI’s program raised public awareness on social and political issues in Bangladesh and supported the public to challenge the status quo, which ultimately aims for power shift inside Bangladesh.”
With the active help of the US embassy, IRI was involved in all possible events, book launches, story-telling, photo exhibition, art exhibition, theatre performance, dance events, movie, documentary screenings, round table meet, advocacy training programs and more.
It ran another PARIS campaign between February 2021 and September 2022 on a grant of $900,000 to influence public opinion against Sheikh Hasina.
Controversial track record of USAID in Nicaragua and Venezuela
According to a research report published by the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, USAID interference led to the 2018 uprising in Nicaragua. An extraordinary leaked document revealed the US government’s plan to interfere with the internal affairs in Nicaragua before and after the 2021 presidential election.
The 14-page extract of a much longer document outlined a contract of USAID to create “the environment for Nicaragua’s transition to democracy.” William Grigsby from Radio La Primerisima revealed the plan in the document that described how USAID worked with various NGOs, think tanks, media organisations and human rights bodies to support opposition to the Ortega government.
To support and justify the interference by the US body, the document misrepresented historical events such as claims that the Sandinista party manipulated the elections even though the Organization of American States (OAS) acknowledged there were only minor irregularities. Furthermore, it also rewrote the 2018 uprising narrative ignoring the fact that the opposition indulged in violence and economic disruption.
The US has a long history of interventions in Nicaragua dating back to 1856. The existence of such documents that revealed the plan of the US’s intervention was not surprising. Notably, Ben Waddell’s article in Global Americans points out that “US support has helped play a role in nurturing the current uprisings,” highlighting the role of US-funded groups in fostering opposition.
USAID has a long history of meddling with Venezuela’s internal affairs as well. According to a 2019 report in People’s World, USAID aligned closely with the National Endowment of Democracy in “Transition Initiatives” to promote the foreign policy goals of the US. The organisation has been an integral part of US efforts to organise humanitarian aid convoys to Venezuela which aligned with the political agenda of the US administration and then-interim president Guaido.
USAID’s Venezuela program supports civil society and democratic governance, echoing the principles of the UN Human Rights Convention. Wikileaks revealed a five-point strategy by the U.S. embassy in Caracas to undermine Chávez. USAID and NED funded opposition groups extensively and the former’s operations often blended humanitarian aid with political motives. The State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources also works to reduce Latin American reliance on Venezuelan energy.
US interference in 2024 Bangladesh elections
Ahead of the January 2024 elections in Bangladesh, the United States government, its agencies and the embedded media were involved in orchestrating a ‘regime change operation’ in Bangladesh.
Attempts were made to distort the public perception of incumbent Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and present her as an ‘autocratic leader.’
The Joe Biden-led-US government was accused of election interference under the pretext of ‘saving democracy’ and conducting ‘free and fair elections’ in the Islamic Republic.
Coercion, virtue signalling and arm twisting were being carried out by the US in Bangladesh through its representatives, agencies and policies.
While nothing could impact the re-election of Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh at that time, the tables turned completely in the following 7 months.
