Like every year, The Economist has chosen the country of the year again. This time, the international media has announced Bangladesh as the country of the year for 2024.
This information was revealed in a report published by The Economist on Thursday (December 19).
This time, Bangladesh was on the list along with Syria, Argentina, South Africa and Poland. However after a ‘heated debate ‘among’ The Economist correspondents, Bangladesh was selected as the best country and Syria was the runner-up.
The report said, our winner this time is Bangladesh, which has overthrown a dictator. In August, student-led street protests ousted Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the country of 17 crore people for 15 years. As the daughter of the country's independence hero, she once led economic growth. But she later began to repress, rigged elections, sent opponents to prison and ordered security forces to shoot at protesters. Her rule was marked by massive embezzlement.
The report also said that Bangladesh has a history of retaliatory violence during power transitions. The main opposition BNP is corrupt. Islamic extremism is also a threat. But so far, their transformation has been promising. There is an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, which has the support of students, the military, business and civil society. This government has restored order and stabilized the economy.
This government will have to fix relations with India in 2025 and decide when to hold elections. Before that, it will have to ensure that the country's courts are impartial and that opposition parties are given time to organize. None of this will be easy.
However, Bangladesh is our best country this year for ousting a dictator and moving towards a more liberal government.
In addition, Syria was named this year's runner-up, where Bashar al-Assad was ousted. Argentina, South Africa and Poland also made the list due to their economic reforms and the formation of new governments. The previous year, The Economist's country of the year in 2023 was Greece, which managed to emerge from a long financial crisis and a moderate government was re-elected.