Asymmetry in Indo-Bangladesh Relations.

The relation between the two close neighbors in the modern world is bound to be a relation of complex interdependence in normal situation for varied reasons. In South Asia, Bangladesh and India are not only geographically close neighbors, they also share common history, culture, and economic background. India also helped Bangladesh in its war of liberation from Pakistan in 1971, which prompted the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistani occupation and hastened the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state. Nethertheless, the relationship between these two neighbors is not symmetrically positive. While the reasons for asymmetry in their relations are manifold, a few of them may be worth mentioning here: history, the larger size of India compared to Bangladesh, the nature of political regimes and their leaders in the two countries, the government policies, geography/border, and the economic conditions in both the countries. This paper, while examining the recent issues that have created problems and the possible areas of cooperation and development in the relations between the two neighbors, suggests that a symmetrical relation of complex interdependence between India and Bangladesh will be beneficial for both the countries in many ways. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]