Dietro il fallito colpo di stato in Bangladesh

I retroscena dello sventato golpe per spodestare il governo democraticamente eletto del primo ministro Sheik Hasina.
La controffensiva del 19 gennaio dell'esercito del Bangladesh ha portato all'arresto di almeno due ufficiali militari in pensione e oltre una dozzina di ufficiali. Un funzionario di primo piano è riuscito a fuggire, mentre secondo presunto cospiratore si sarebbe presumibilmente rifugiato a Hong Kong.

Bangladesh is no stranger to military meddling, having endured three coups and numerous army mutinies in its 40 years of independence, as well as long spells of military rule. The Hasina government came into power in 2009 following a two-year interruption of the country's tumultuous (some would say dysfunctional) democracy by a caretaker military regime. The year before, I met the country’s then army chief, General Moeen Uddin Ahmed, and wrote a somewhat wary piece of his role in shepherding Bangladesh’s politics along. Soft-spoken and humble, he decried the kleptocratic habits of both Hasina's Awami League (AL) and the rival Bangladesh National Party (BNP). Still, South Asia - and in particular, the two countries that used to comprise West and East Pakistan - has a long history of military men thinking they know what’s best for their people.