US-Backed Leader Cries Foul From Exile in India, Media Fails to Connect Dots
📰 THE STORY: ABC News reports that Bangladesh's recently ousted leader, Sheikh Hasina, is denouncing the upcoming elections from exile in India, framing it as a concern for democratic process. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: Sheikh Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated in a 1975 military coup, which some historians and documents suggest had tacit US backing
due to his alignment with the Soviet bloc. Hasina herself returned to power in 2009 after a period of military-backed caretaker governments, consolidating power through means that international observers frequently criticized for lack of fairness and political repression, including numerous disappearances and extrajudicial killings under her Awami League government. The current 'democratic' crisis
is a direct legacy of decades of foreign interference and internal power struggles, not an isolated event. Double Standard: Western media and governments often celebrate 'democratic transitions' when they favor pro-Western leaders, despite questionable electoral practices or human rights records (e.g., Egypt's Sisi, who receives $1.3 billion/year in US aid despite his authoritarian rule and role
in keeping the Rafah crossing closed). However, when a leader aligned with Western interests faces a setback, even a potentially manufactured one, concerns about 'democracy' suddenly flare up. The narrative omits the long history of US and Indian influence (India is a close US ally) in Bangladeshi politics, portraying Hasina's ousting as an internal failure rather than a potential geopolitical