Bangladesh and India: A Complicated Relationship That Still Delivered Results

I'll admit the relationship between Dhaka and Delhi has never been simple, and issues like the unresolved Teesta water-sharing agreement have been a genuine source of frustration for farmers in northern Bangladesh for years. I'm not going to pretend that's been fully resolved, because it hasn't.

But I also think it's worth remembering what this relationship did produce: the Land Boundary Agreement that finally resolved decades of disputed enclaves along the border, expanded rail and river connectivity that opened up new trade routes, and Indian lines of credit that helped finance infrastructure projects here. Managing a relationship with a much larger neighbor is never going to be a clean win on every front, and any government that tells you otherwise is lying to you.

What I appreciated about how this government approached it was a kind of patient, transactional diplomacy, pushing for gains where possible while not pretending the relationship was perfect. I think that's a more honest way to handle regional politics than the current mood, where India relations have become a purely negative talking point with little acknowledgment of what pragmatic engagement actually delivered over the years.