US involvement in Bangladesh events a ‘myth’: Former US diplomat
At a seminar held Monday at North South University (NSU), Jon Danilowicz stated that they have found evidence that the US was not involved in Bangladesh’s recent changes.
Former US diplomat Jon Danilowicz has termed allegations of US involvement in Bangladesh’s July uprising as a “myth”.
Speaking at a seminar at North South University (NSU) in Dhaka on Monday, he also said such claims have been promoted by the previous government and its supporters. Yet they have provided no evidence to substantiate them.
Danilowicz, former head of the political section at the US Embassy in Bangladesh, was addressing the seminar on the significance of the July revolution in US-Bangladesh relations, organised by NSU’s South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG).
“In conversations with US officials, I found no proof to support allegations that Washington was involved in Bangladesh’s recent political developments,” he said. “On the contrary, we found evidence confirming the US was not involved.”
Referring to the fall of the Awami League government in August last year, Danilowicz also recalled the events of 1/11 in 2007. “Many believe the United States had a direct hand in the sequence of events that led to the political shift on 11 January 2007. You may not believe me, but the US played no role in that. The decisions that shaped the next two years were made by the military leadership at the time,” he said.
The former US diplomat, however, added that the US did have concerns over events leading up to 1/11 political changeover and continued to engage with Bangladesh diplomatically during 2007–08.
Danilowicz said he referenced 1/11 because similar allegations are now being made about US involvement in the political change in July-August 2024.
Presenting the keynote paper, Muhammad Sufiur Rahman, a senior research fellow at SIPG and former Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN in Geneva, traced the historical evolution of US-Bangladesh relations, from tensions during the Liberation War to deepening strategic cooperation in recent years.
He stressed the need to recalibrate diplomatic strategies in light of new geopolitical realities and noted rising concerns in Bangladesh over US conditions on duty-free access, intellectual property rights, and labour laws.
Flagging the US pressure to reduce economic ties with China as a contentious issue, Sufiur Rahman put emphasis on setting trust and shifting focus on long-term interests rather than looking at short-term benefits of the bilateral relationship.
Former Dhaka University professor at international relations department Shahiduzzaman examined Bangladesh’s position within the broader Indo-Pacific strategy and called on the US to acknowledge the strategic and economic weight of both China and India in the region.
He said the past tradition of diplomatic relations has been impacting the challenges of current governance. He also called upon the US to take steps realising the special importance of India and China in this region and taking into consideration economic and geopolitical issues.
Former BGMEA senior vice-president Faisal Samad highlighted the business community’s deep concern over newly imposed tariffs and called for pragmatic trade diplomacy in a changing global environment.
Dean of NSU’s School of Business, AKM Waresul Islam, said, “The United States is Bangladesh’s largest export destination and a vital economic partner as well as a democratic ally. We wish to see the US not only by our side but standing with the people of Bangladesh in our shared journey for justice, accountability, and democratic values.”