Dan Mozena, US ambassador to Bangladesh, left Dhaka on 22nd December 2014 almost suddenly. His successor did not come to take the responsibility though she was supposed to come as we heard through media several months back. At the fag end of Mozena's departure, things probably did not go well as we witnessed the absence of some formalities like meeting with dignitaries and important persons before his leaving. He kept mum for several days when contacted for his comments regarding Bangladesh, its governance and business and relation between Bangladesh and USA. Along with the civil society members, diplomats, politicians, high government and non-government officials I used to receive invitation on various occasions from his office and residence. Before his departure there must have been such a gathering as we had several times in his residence. It didn't take place and we are convinced that things did not really go well with him. His departure took place very suddenly. Just before the day of his departure I saw a picture of Mozena standing with a rickshaw, the traditional transport of Bangladesh. He wore lungi, our traditional dress and produced an article in the Daily Star on 21st December 2014 under the title 'Goodbye Wonderful Bangladesh'. But to my utter surprise I came to learn that he left Bangladesh on 22nd December 2014 means just the next day leaving many questions for us.
Diplomacy is a crucial task. It gets more crucial when the diplomatic ties lie between the two imbalanced countries in terms of size, wealth, education, global status and geographical situation. It was further crucial as USA opposed the process of the birth of Bangladesh. After the birth her attitude towards us experienced a renewed shape and she has become our largest development partner. This is diplomacy. American diplomacy is very very significant at every part of the globe. Global politics takes its turn with the necessity of time. Diplomacy follows it. So, it's not static. After the Second World War the world got divided into mainly two blocs namely - capitalist and socialist. The then USSR-led the socialist bloc and the USA took the lead of the capitalist bloc. Due to this practical phenomenon, USA did not play a positive role during our Liberation War as India helped us which belonged to Soviet Bloc. This attitude of America miraculously changed after the achievement of our liberation and she has been the largest donor of Bangladesh. The geographical, strategic and world politics have given the USA the leading position in the globe. Whether we like it or not, this is the reality. India, our largest neighbour, does many things with us which do not conform to the friendly activities she showed towards us during our Liberation War. This is the reality, whether we like or dislike as she is a big state. Bangladesh would have done the same if she had been so big a country as India.
Dan Mozena, represented his beloved country USA, the most powerful country in the world, in Bangladesh. I think he represented his country just like a real diplomat. Del Carnegie told about diplomacy 'Talking nothing while talking is diplomacy" which he followed word for word. He got to know our people visiting all 64 districts. How wonderful! Even many of us have not yet visited all the districts of Bangladesh but an ambassador of the most powerful and richest state of the world has done it. Huge learning elements we can get from this visit. If someone wants to get closer to the people, he/she must go to them which he did very successfully. If we compare the behavior and performance of the diplomats of Bangladesh working abroad we see quite an opposite picture. Our ambassadors/diplomats go to various countries of the world taking diplomatic assignment who in most of the cases don't do anything beyond their routine work. They behave just like aliens to the expatriates of Bangladesh. Expecting any friendly or any positive help from our missions abroad is a rare phenomenon, though they have been sent there to explore avenues and scope to send our laborers, technicians, students, and professionals of various categories, they just pass their time doing ceremonial jobs and attending parties. They hardly contribute to establishing any tangible relations between Bangladesh and with those countries. But we see what Mozena has done. He visited every nook and corner of Bangladesh, every unit of the industry, every sector of our agriculture he visited to get closer to the people and to get a real learning about the country where he has been assigned diplomatic task. This is the significant part of modern diplomacy.
His article titled 'Goodbye Wonderful Bangladesh' has some touching lines which really touched my heart and contributed to flashing the memories with him in person and in media. He wrote 'Over three years have passed, but it seems like yesterday when the plane landed at Shahjalal Airport, bringing my wife Grace and me to Dhaka to take up my assignment as America's Ambassador to Bangladesh.' He clandestinely expressed the facts that Bangladesh has made achievements in female education, child mortality, and food security. He continues that these things have set the stage for Bangladesh to become Asia's next economic tiger. This tiger would have four powerful legs: a massive apparel industry that has transformed itself to global standards for fire safety, factory structural soundness, and respect for workers' rights, huge shoe and finished leather goods industries that surge onto the global market once the eco-friendly tannery park in Savar opens, made-in Bangladesh generic pharmaceuticals that sweep into America starting next year, and information technicians, especially software development.
About two lakh fifty thousand (0.25 million) Bangladeshis live in the USA and this number is increasing every year as the brilliant chaps, professionals, businessmen, teachers try to go to the USA either for professional purpose or for living there temporarily or permanently to have the civic taste of a first world country. The remittance sent by the already living Bangladeshis there proves not an insignificant amount. A Bangladeshi citizen gets a US visa in a much easier way than that of an Indian visa though we are living very close to them. This fact contains many meanings. We cannot say we can do without America. Interdependence is the key point of globalization. Each country - small or big, weak or powerful, rich or poor - must have affairs with other states not only for her own business or interest, it is the necessity of the present day world. And this is why Dan Mozena says, 'Bangladesh matters strategically to America in countering terrorism and violent extremism, fostering regional security, sustaining global peace through peacekeeping, achieving global food security, expanding trade and investment promoting democracy and respect for human rights and coping with disasters, especially earthquakes.' His truly diplomatic spirit gets reflected through these words, "Bangladesh is big, Bangladesh is important, and Bangladesh is the world's eighth largest country and the world's third largest Muslim majority country. Bangladesh is moderate, tolerant, secular, pluralistic alternative to the violent extremism that scars other countries." The superior position of the USA on the global perspective cannot be denied in any way. She gives shelter to the leaders, dissidents, professionals of all the parts of the globe. USA hosts the scholars, educationist, and professionals in her land. She welcomes the talented people to her land from across the globe. The more a country nods her diplomacy towards her, the greater beneficiaries she will be which we cannot pretend to disbelieve. We just find a great heart in Mozena when he gives so many adjectives to the people of Bangladesh thus, 'My heart is heavy as I prepare to depart from this great, rich nation and its wonderful, hard-working, creative, generous, entrepreneurial, and resilient people. On the eve of my departure from Bangladesh, I am pleased to report that America's partnership with Bangladesh is broader, deeper, and stronger than ever benefiting the people of both countries.'
When this is the situation lying between these two incomparable countries can we afford to say that we can go without America?
The writer is Program Manager: BRAC Education Program. He regularly writes on various national and international issues.
Email: [email protected]
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