Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) and Dhaka Tribune jointly organize monthly roundtables on contemporary geopolitical issues. The most recent one, held on 29 June 2022, focused on ‘The Changing Dynamics of the Middle East: Implications for Bangladesh’.

A panel of experts comprising two distinguished speakers discussed the given topic. Dr Lailufar Yasmin, Professor at the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University, and Parvez Karim Abbasi, Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics of East West University, spoke at the event as panellists. The speakers opined that Bangladesh needs to continue maintaining a strategic relationship with Middle Eastern states as the country is dependent on fossil fuels and foreign remittance. Mr. Abbasi presented a comprehensive overview of the importance of the Middle East countries on the global front and the constant political instability in the region. Dr Lailufar Yasmin dwelt on how the Middle East States are often misperceived as a unified region, which is not the case in reality in terms of governance and power-sharing. BIPSS President Maj Gen ANM Muniruzzaman, ndc, psc (retd) and Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan jointly moderated the roundtable. Nur Ahmed, Research Officer (Maritime Affairs and Security), represented BIMRAD at the roundtable.