Bangladesh's gamble

As the Awami League's current predicament shows, repressive regimes-even when delivering prosperity-cannot keep their populace content

Recent events in Bangladesh will inevitably spill over to the rest of the subcontinent. Guessing how things will turn out in the world’s eighth-most populous nation will occupy many commentators.

Bangladesh’s last government was authoritarian. The ousted government “won” extremely flawed elections after Opposition leaders were jailed, and the nation’s constitution, which asked for an impartial interim government to conduct national elections, was ignored.  Much blood was spilt in the last few weeks, as the government tried unsuccessfully to ride out public protests.

But it would be wrong to claim the government was an absolute failure. It provided a