??Is Bangladesh at Risk from the Mecca Pact? : Behind the Promise of Friendship, Is Bangladesh Being Drawn into a New Military Bloc?

The Mecca Pact and the Price of Choosing a Side Bangladesh has spent decades trying to do something that is increasingly difficult in a divided world: maintain good relations with everyone without becoming strategically dependent on anyone. Its relationships with India and China are central to its security and economy. The United States and Europe are indispensable to its trade. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries provide employment for millions of Bangladeshis and are important sources of remittances. Türkiye has emerged as an increasingly significant partner, while Bangladesh has sought to maintain normal relations with Pakistan. That ba…