Illinois State University Professor of Politics and Government Ali Riaz published a commentary piece on Bangladeshi politics in the Daily Star in Bangladesh on December 6.
In “What does democracy mean to Bangladeshis?,” Riaz notes the deteriorating politics and growing repression in Bangladesh. He argues that the result of the “growing authoritarian bent of the government and weakening of the opposition is that the mainstream political arena is being hollowed out: neither the Parliament nor the street is the arena of politics.”
“Democracy is not an abstract idea to Bangladeshi citizens.” –Ali Riaz
Riaz discusses aspects of his recently published book, Bangladesh: A Political History of Bangladesh Since Independence (London: I B Tauris, 2016), which examines surveys about the attitudes of ordinary Bangladeshis from 1996-2013. “That these surveys demonstrate a wide and unwavering support for democracy among Bangladeshi citizens should come as no surprise,” Riaz says.
