An Ally in Bangladesh
Not to be overlooked.

fter Indonesia, Bangladesh is the second-largest Muslim democracy. As a democratic people in the Islamic world, the Bangladeshis show that Islam, democracy, and moderation can coexist. It would be foolish for the Bush administration to overlook this nation as it negotiates new relationships with countries willing to raise civilization over terror. We need more than one staunch ally among Muslim countries that is also a stable and functioning democracy. The democratic government in Bangladesh is a great place to start.

The problem is that Bangladesh's economy limps along, desperately needing fair access to U.S. markets. Despite $2.19 million in exports to the U.S. last year in one of its major industries, ready-made garments, 1,100 out of Bangladesh's 3,000 garment factories have folded, and over 200,000 workers, mostly women, have been laid off. This present crisis — according to Ambassador Farooq Sobhan, president of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute — arose in large part because the U.S. gave 72 countries in Africa and the Caribbean a 20 to 22 percent price advantage over Bangladesh by allowing them duty-free access to the U.S. market. Imagine, then, the ripple effect on the country's transport, banking, and insurance industries, as well as the erosion of progress in education and health care. The Bush administration has now asked Congress to pass legislation allowing reduced tariffs for Pakistan — but has refused such a benefit for Bangladesh. If this tariff policy has thus weakened the country's industries, why suppose that its political institutions will not follow? Democratic institutions cannot survive such fragile economic realities on a prayer.

And this democratic regime is too good to let fall. The last free and fair elections, on October 1, 2001, stood as a sign opposing fanatical regimes and boasted a 75 percent voter turnout. That 52 percent of those voters were women is a very tangible rejection of the influence of the mullahs in that country's rural areas. Their three democratic elections over the last eleven years further testify to the strength of their free press and governmental bodies. How can anyone miss the connection between the democratic institutions and the respect for human beings found in this country?

But this democracy needs the support of the strongest democracy in the world. In addition to its fragile economy, Bangladesh suffers from the deep animosity between its two major political parties. If democratic institutions in Bangladesh lose their capacity to support the free expression of conflicting opinions, the doors could open for fanaticism and terror. September 11 clearly expressed the power of fanatical voices to confuse the opinion of a public bereft of economic well being. While Bangladesh still has reasonable grounds to believe that democratic countries everywhere can expect U.S. support, the Bush administration should not let them down. We will win this war as much with confidence as with ordnance.