In Dhaka, the Roadblocks to Democracy Are Roadblocks

As the Election Looms in Bangladesh, Blockades Are More Than a Metaphor for the Obstacles Facing Voters

It’s election season in Bangladesh—the roads are closed, vehicles are burning, and the threat of violence is close.

As I write these sentences, the country’s chief opposition party—the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)—is observing the 10th round of blockades protesting the ruling Awami League’s insistence on running the next election itself.

The idea of a continuous blockade may invoke images of a medieval warlord hoping to lay siege to an opponent’s fortress. Bangladesh’s modern blockades are often described in international media as shutdowns of passenger and freight transportation routes that bring inter-city movement …

What We Miss When We See the Plight of the Refugee | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

What We Miss When We See the Plight of the Refugee

In Bangladesh, the Resettled Rohingya in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp Lead Complicated Lives

In 2015, the image of a Syrian child, drowned and washed ashore near the Turkish town of Bodram, went viral. This singular, visceral image of the hapless refugee victim spoke …