“Challenges of Democratic Transition: Bangladesh at a Crossroads” Lecture by Ali Riaz (CANCELED)

A man with graying hair and glasses is speaking into a microphone at a conference or meeting. He is wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and a patterned blue tie. His hands are clasped in front of him on the table. There are blurred office items and people in the background.

The lecture with Ali Riaz has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Global experience of past twenty-five years shows that while mass movements succeed in toppling dictators, most countries do not succeed in establishing a democratic system. The vexing question is will Bangladesh, which has embarked on a democratic journey after experiencing sixteen years of Sheikh Hasina’s personalistic autocracy, succeed?

Hasina was toppled in a popular uprising in July-August 2024 and fled the country. The country experienced unprecedented atrocities perpetrated by the members of the law enforcement agencies and the activists of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League in the wake of the movement. More than 1400 people were killed and thousands have been injured. The country is currently being governed by an interim government, and an election is scheduled for February 2026.

This presentation examines the challenges for the country drawing on the lessons of democratic transition and the country’s political dynamics involving a wide array of political forces and weak institutions.

Ali Riaz is a distinguished professor of Political Science at Illinois State University, a non-resident fellow of the Atlantic Council and the president of the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS). He has served as the head of the Constitution Reform Commission in Bangladesh appointed by the Bangladesh’s interim government and is currently serving as the vice-chair of the National Consensus Commission. His recent publications include Charade: Bangladesh’s 2024 Election (2024), and Pathways of Autocratization: The Tumultuous Journey of Bangladeshi Politics (2023). He also co-authored How Autocrats Rise: Sequences of Democratic Backsliding (2023).

Presented by the Liu Institute's South Asia Working Group and cosponsored with the McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business, the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

Lunch Provided - Please Bring Beverages

In support of the Liu Institute’s growing commitment to sustainability, we will no longer be offering drinks at our public lectures and panels. We encourage audience members to bring their water bottles or to drink from nearby water fountains.

Originally published at asia.nd.edu.