This book deals with how the governments of India and Bangladesh manage the Ganges River. On the basis of the Ganges issue, it explains India’s involvement in the domestic politics of Bangladesh and how this involvement, in turn, shapes Ganges river politics. The book further analyses the constant friction between Indian preferences for bilateral negotiation in comparison to Bangladesh’s demand for multilateral cooperation on the Ganges. This also highlights the role of civil society, tracing how organisations have engaged in and explored potential compromises acceptable to both countries. As the term of the treaty comes to an end in 2026, the present work underlines its limitations, as the impacts of climate change will involve far more than distress on water. In closing, it discusses a range of other challenges, including the erosion of the Indian central government’s monopoly in foreign policy, especially in relation to its neighbours. Through extensive fieldwork in India and Bangladesh, together with interviews with politicians, diplomats and all those closely associated with the Ganges deliberations, the book reveals subtle aspects of the negotiations. What emerges as a distinctive feature of Indo-Bangladesh interactions on the Ganges is the fact that successful outcomes depend on the extent to which the ruling political powers in both countries accommodate one other’s domestic political dynamics. This insight enriches scholarship on the Ganges River, addressing an aspect largely overlooked in the literature. Offering an up-to-the-minute analysis, the book examines the implementation of the Ganges Treaty through 2015, making it of interest to researchers focusing on South Asia and international relations, scholars on and practitioners of Indian foreign policy, journalists, water experts, civil society groups, and university students.

An innovative analysis of the experience of Bengali Muslims on the Indian side of the India-Bangladesh border.

Bangladesh-India relations are perhaps the most complex bilateral relations in the subcontinent. Despite its role in Bangladesh's independence in 1971, India is often perceived as serving its own self-interests against Pakistan. With the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1972, the two countries attempted to improve their relations to no avail. As a result, decades-old issues concerning land, water, illegal migration, and border security still remain, as does Bangladesh's seeking of favorable access to Indian markets, particularly for its widely exported garment products. On August 1, 2015, despite its peripheral status in bilateral negotiations, India and Bangladesh formally exchanged 162 enclaves strewn along shared borders--low-cost concessions for both, yet a possible template for successful future relations. Bangladesh and India share a common border of 4096 km running through five states, namely, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Managing such a diverse border is a complex task but vital from the point of view of national security. There are 162 enclaves between Bangladesh and India. The enclaves provide an important site for scrutinizing the connections between bordering practices and sovereignty claims. Uncertain borders not only raise bilateral tensions but also facilitate cross-border infiltration, illegal migration, smuggling and crime. Illegal migration has emerged as one of the major national security challenges. The India-Bangladesh border has been described as the 'problem area of tomorrow'. The problems include illegal migration, smuggling, and trans-border movement of insurgents, which are serious threats to the security of the country. This book will be invaluable for students and scholars of history, politics and international relations. The book should be also be of interest to the policy makers and other stakeholders who wish to develop insight into intricate areas of discord between Bangladesh and India and the possible resolutions suggested by the young minds.

This book provides a broad, analytical study of Bangladesh's relationship with India and Pakistan between 1975 and 1990. Bangladesh's role in South Asian international relations has tended to be overlooked and underestimated. The book reveals the complexity of the relationship between Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

This stimulating book examines the key issues - including border management, water cooperation, and connectivity - challenges and possibilities in Bangladesh-India relations in the last fifty years. The book also investigates the role of the 'China factor', the role of civil society in Bangladesh-India relations and maps out the future course of actions in Bangladesh-India partnership in the post-pandemic world. The book contributes to both from theoretical and policy perspective and therefore will be immensely useful to the students of International Relations, Political Science, to academics, researchers, and policymakers with interest on Bangladesh-India relations, Bangladesh foreign policy, India's foreign policy in particular, and South Asia in general.

This book discusses history of mental construction of the border between India and Bangladesh. It investigates how and when a border was constructed between the people, and discusses how the mental construction preceded the physical construction. It also examines the perils faced by those forced to leave their homes as a result of the partition of India in 1947. Globally throughout history, the absence of borders made the movement of people from one place to another easier. The construction of borders and sovereign de-limitation of territory restricted or even prevented seamless migration. The situation becomes more complex near borders that were previously open to the movement of people. One such border is between India and Bangladesh, where, in August 1947, suddenly people were told that the places they used to visit on a daily basis were now a part of a different sovereign country. This book argues that borders construct the identity of an individual or a group. Those who cross to the other side of border, for whatever reason, are identified and categorized by the state and the people. Sometimes these migrants face violence from the locals because they are considered a threat to the local working class. The book also explains how, after the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, everyday encounter between people from India and Bangladesh have further embedded a feeling of us versus them. In 2015, India and Bangladesh agreed to implement the India–Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA). This book assesses whether the implementation of this agreement will have impacts on border-related problems like mobility, migration, and tensions. It is a valuable resource for policymakers, journalists, researchers and students.

The reality of India-Bangladesh relations as it stands today is far removed from the idealism in bilateral relations which has been cherished since the Liberation War, especially in India. This book examines the irritants between the two countries and suggests a road map for improving relations. The book covers the geography and history of Bangladesh as a backdrop. Thereafter, the strategic importance of Bangladesh to India, security perceptions of Bangladesh and a few economic aspects have been covered. A chronological review of Bangladesh’s foreign policy towards India and her relations with other countries has been carried out in a separate chapter. This is followed by a detailed examination of the irritants between the two countries. The views of a large cross-section of eminent personalities of both the countries have been included to substantiate the existing relations. In the Final Chapter, ‘The Way Ahead’, the author has suggested an action plan for the future.