Bay of Bengal Conversation 2024: A Fractured World

The third edition of the Bay of Bengal conversation will witness a host country entirely different from the previous year. According to many, this is a Bangladesh that has been liberated for a second time. A seemingly all-powerful leader and Bangladesh’s longest-ruling premier was forced to abdicate and go into exile due to a mass uprising. Her absence leaves behind a substantial power vacuum, as well as a historic opportunity to rebuild the nation within the framework of a proper democracy. With her government’s collapse, South Asia’s entire geopolitical equation has changed. A new Bangladesh represents an opportunity for a new form of diplomacy and a new avenue to rectifying regional divides. A new Bangladesh also gives the people of Bangladesh the privilege of having hope once again. Hope for democracy, freedom, and a better tomorrow.
 
Meanwhile, on the world stage, as the year of elections comes to a close, we witness a world that is fractured unlike ever before. It is estimated that around half of humankind exercised their democratic right to choose their leaders. However, it is unclear if the global phenomenon of democratic backsliding will be finally alleviated or if the rise of authoritarianism will continue unchecked. Flawed elections and lack of transparency in governance and fiscal affairs continue to deteriorate public trust in institutions and in their own governments. Indeed, the dire consequences of such democratic backsliding were witnessed first-hand in Bangladesh. 

On the geostrategic theatre, great powers with diametrically opposed interests continue to keep the United Nations bogged down in perpetual stalemate. Wars in Europe and the Middle East have caused global economic growth to slump. Nations reeling from rising commodity prices find themselves in dangerous levels of debt. On the other hand, the battle against climate change rages on, but the road to net zero emissions by 2050 remains uncertain. In such perilous times, humankind has just begun getting acquainted with its greatest innovation. The rise of artificial intelligence is being hailed as the herald of a new age. Whether this new age will be a step towards utopia or dystopia is impossible to tell as of yet. 

Ultimately, the schisms between the global north and the global south, the political east and the political west, remained unresolved, with no clear pathway to peace and solidarity. In this year’s Bay of Bengal Conversations, scholars, diplomats, politicians, journalists, activists, security experts, and many other esteemed individuals from across the world who are concerned with the trajectory of history will meet to discuss ideas of how we can collaborate to piece together this fractured world, healing old wounds, preventing further discord, and reignite the dream of global harmony and prosperity.

This year’s Bay of Bengal Conversation will feature a deep dive into contemporary issues divided into five key thematic pillars of conversation.