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This special report examines Bangladesh's escalating political crisis ahead of the February 2026 election. With the Awami League banned and its leader Sheikh Hasina in exile, the nation is spiralling into a familiar cycle of boycotts and political retribution. The report questions if the upcoming vote, administered by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, can deliver true democracy or if it is merely 'the same old foul grab in a new outfit'. The analysis highlights the deep-seated irony of the situation, where the Awami League now faces the same exclusionary tactics it once used against its rival, the BNP. As the country heads towards a contentious election, millions of Awami League supporters risk being disenfranchised, threatening the legitimacy of the outcome and pushing the nation through a cycle of 'vengeance not transition'.
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00:00Hello and welcome, I'm Geeta Mohan and you're watching India Today Global.
00:03Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day visit to West Asia and Africa.
00:08He would be visiting three countries, Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman, from the 15th to the 18th of December.
00:15Prime Minister Modi will first visit Jordan King Abdullah II
00:19and it will also mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Jordan.
00:25Both countries will focus on strengthening bilateral relations and areas of collaboration.
00:31Prime Minister Modi will then embark on a state visit to Ethiopia
00:35and will also be his first visit to the country.
00:39Then he will wrap up his trip by visiting Oman.
00:42It will be Prime Minister's second visit to Oman.
00:45Both countries share a comprehensive strategic partnership, including trade and strong people-to-people ties.
00:52It will also be the 70th year of diplomatic relations since Sultan Haytham bin Tariq's visit to India in 2023.
01:01The countries will review trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture.
01:12Staying with the story, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to Jordan,
01:16which will be his first, marks a major push in India's West Asia strategy,
01:22strengthening political dialogue, trade and regional security cooperation
01:26at a time when West Asia faces its most volatile moment in years.
01:31Farhan Khan with this report.
01:38Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to kick off his three-nation tour to Jordan, Oman and Ethiopia
01:44with a highly significant stop in Jordan from 15th to 16th December.
01:51And while the visit may appear normal on paper,
01:53it comes at a moment when West Asia is more volatile than it has been in years,
01:59making Modi's engagement with Oman both timely and strategically important.
02:05This will be Modi's first full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan.
02:09His last interaction with the country was a brief transit stop in 2018 en route to Ramallah.
02:17But this time, the visit stands on its own and carries weight.
02:22India and Jordan are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations
02:25and both sides are preparing to review the entire gamut of ties,
02:30as the Ministry of External Affairs has put it.
02:34Jordan may not dominate headlines the way other West Asian countries do,
02:38but it holds an outsized influence in regional politics.
02:43It is a frontline state on the Israel-Palestine issue,
02:46the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem
02:48and home to a large number of Palestinian refugees.
02:53In the aftermath of the Gaza conflict and shifting Arab alignments,
02:57Jordan's voice has become even more critical.
03:00Modi's visit therefore signals India's intention
03:02to engage directly with a moderate Arab monarchy
03:05that often acts as a stabilizing force in the region.
03:08Jordan is a respected name in historical and religious heritage of the world.
03:19Under the far-sighted leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah,
03:26Jordan has achieved sustainable and inclusive growth,
03:32its progress in economic, social and cultural development
03:38has been remarkable.
03:41In an important region of the world,
03:46Jordan has emerged as a powerful voice
03:50and a global symbol of moderation and inclusivity.
03:58It has emerged as a moral state,
04:04living in peace with its neighbors
04:07and is a symbol of stability and a voice of reason.
04:14His Majesty, the King, continues to play a key role
04:21in the promotion of peace in West Asia.
04:26Experts stress that Jordan's geography and political posture
04:29make it indispensable in conversations about regional stability.
04:34Amman consistently supports a two-state solution,
04:37a position India also backs.
04:40And it has quietly played mediator during moments of crisis.
04:44The visit will allow the two countries to exchange assessments
04:47on the fast-changing situation in West Asia,
04:51counter-terrorism concerns,
04:52and ways to prevent further escalation.
04:55But this trip is not just about geopolitics.
04:58There is a strong economic dimension as well.
05:02India is Jordan's fourth-largest trading partner
05:04with bilateral trade touching nearly $2.9 billion in 2023-24.
05:10India imports key fertilizers and phosphates from Jordan,
05:13essential for its agricultural sector,
05:16while exporting machinery, chemicals, cereals, frozen meat, and other products.
05:22There is also growing interest around the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor,
05:26or IMEC, which is expected to pass through Jordan.
05:30As Amman undertakes economic reforms and seek fresh investments,
05:35sectors like fintech, renewable energy, automobiles,
05:38and advanced manufacturing are opening up.
05:41Experts argue that this is an opportunity for Indian businesses
05:45to expand their presence in a country
05:47that traditionally hasn't been given enough attention in India's West Asia policy.
05:52Energy cooperation remains another promising frontier.
05:55Jordan is located close to the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean basin
05:59and is exploring ways to attract investment in the sector.
06:02Indian companies could play a key role as Amman diversifies its energy sources
06:07to ensure long-term stability.
06:10Jordan has also supported India's foreign policy positions,
06:13including on Kashmir and the broader neighborhood first agenda.
06:16The political warmth and steady goodwill between the two countries
06:20provide a strong foundation for Modi's upcoming visit.
06:23In essence, Modi's Jordan visit is more than a symbolic anniversary gesture.
06:28It is India's attempt to cement ties with a dependable partner
06:32at a time of regional turmoil.
06:35By deepening political dialogue, economic cooperation, and strategic coordination,
06:40New Delhi is signaling that Amman will remain an essential pillar
06:43of its West Asia engagement.
06:45With Farhan Khan, Bureau Report, India Today Global.
06:49The United States has intensified pressure on Venezuela,
06:56with President Trump announcing fresh sanctions on relatives
06:59and associates of President Nicolás Maduro.
07:02The move comes amid growing scrutiny over a recent military strike
07:06and follows the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker,
07:10escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
07:19As U.S. lawmakers mourn pressure on Trump administration
07:23to release the raw video of the September 2nd strike on vote
07:27as a part of Operation Sudden Spear,
07:30President Trump announced new sanctions on family members
07:33of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
07:37President Trump has stressed the need to put an end to drug trafficking
07:41and accuse the Maduro government of smuggling drugs into the United States.
07:45The sanctions have been imposed on three nephews of Maduro's wife,
07:50Celia Flores, a Maduro-affiliated businessman
07:53and six shipping companies operating in Venezuela's oil sector.
07:58Earlier, the nephews, dubbed as narco-nephews,
08:02were convicted in 2016 on charges that they tried to carry out
08:06a multi-million dollar cocaine deal
08:08and sentenced to 18 years in prison
08:11but were released in a 2022 prison swap with Venezuela.
08:17This also comes within days of the U.S. government's revamped
08:2033-page national security strategy
08:23wherein the administration has stressed
08:25on readjustment of the U.S. military presence
08:28in the Western Hemisphere to counter-migration,
08:31drug trafficking and what it describes
08:34as the rise of adversarial powers in the region
08:37based on the Monroe Doctrine.
08:42Well, it's about a lot of things
08:44but one of the things it's about
08:45is the fact that they've allowed millions of people
08:47to come into our country from their prisons,
08:49from gangs, from drug dealers
08:51and from mental institutions,
08:53probably proportionately more than anybody else.
08:56They came in from many countries.
08:57We're getting them out.
08:58We had 11,888 murderers come into our country.
09:03Many of them are from Venezuela.
09:05We had thousands of Trende Aragua,
09:07the gang, come in from,
09:09which they say is the most violent gang.
09:11I don't know.
09:12MS-13 is pretty bad.
09:14But Trende Aragua, they say,
09:15is the most violent gang.
09:16It came out of the prisons of Venezuela.
09:19It came out of the prisons of Venezuela.
09:22The sanction follows
09:23the oil tanker's seizure by the U.S.
09:25on the coast of Venezuela.
09:28As you probably know,
09:31we've just seized a tanker
09:34on the coast of Venezuela,
09:36a large tanker, very large.
09:39Largest one ever seized, actually.
09:42And other things are happening,
09:45so you'll be seeing that later
09:47and you'll be talking about that later
09:48with some other people.
09:51Meanwhile, Maduro had condemned
09:53the seizure of oil tanker
09:55and ordered for legal and diplomatic action.
09:57Yesterday, they committed
10:04an absolutely criminal and illegal act
10:06when they proceeded to carry out
10:08a military assault, kidnapping and robbery
10:11like Paris of the Caribbean
10:12on a private civilian commercial merchant ship,
10:15a ship of peace that was assaulted
10:18almost as it was reaching the Atlantic.
10:20They kidnapped the crew,
10:22they stole the ship.
10:24They have ushered in a new era,
10:26the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.
10:30So Venezuela reject its entirety,
10:32this act of criminal piracy
10:34against the entire Caribbean.
10:36And I have already given sufficient instructions
10:38for all the necessary legal
10:39and diplomatic actions
10:41to be taken
10:42and measures to be implemented
10:43because Venezuela will secure all ships
10:45to guarantee the free trade of its oil
10:47to the world.
10:48The U.S. Treasury Department
10:55said it has imposed sanctions
10:57on six shipping companies
10:59moving Venezuelan oil
11:01as well as six crude oil tankers
11:03that it said
11:04have engaged in deceptive
11:06and unsafe shipping practices
11:07and continue to provide financial resources
11:10that fuel Maduro's corrupt
11:12narco-terrorist regime.
11:14In an exclusive interview
11:24to India Today Global,
11:25Celso Amorim,
11:26Chief Advisor to Brazil's President
11:28Luis Inacio Lula de Silva
11:30spoke about Venezuela
11:31and if Brazil
11:32would help the Venezuelan government
11:34by granting political asylum to Maduro
11:36if the U.S.-Venezuela standoff goes south.
11:40For the entire interview,
11:41please watch India Today Global's YouTube channel.
11:44Well, I, you know,
11:47what happened inside Venezuela
11:51it's a Venezuelan question.
11:55It's for them to decide.
11:58I don't, I mean, of course,
12:01I was there during the elections.
12:04I didn't think the elections
12:06were fully as they should have been,
12:09but we continue to have relations with that
12:13because we consider this
12:14a problem of an internal problem of Venezuela.
12:18We from outside can give some help,
12:20but only when there are people in dialogue.
12:23And there is no dialogue now.
12:24And, of course,
12:25these acts of aggression
12:28or economic isolation,
12:30I mean, all that only aggravates the situation.
12:32It doesn't help at all.
12:33I mean, we had the example in the past
12:36when the U.S. government
12:39recognized another gentleman,
12:41Mr. Guaido, as president.
12:43Did that help?
12:44Not at all.
12:45In the end,
12:46even Mr. Guaido,
12:47nobody speaks about him anymore.
12:50He's a non-being almost.
12:53So this is not a way of acting
12:55by pressure, by violation.
12:57I think we have to do it in a different way.
13:00I think it's our duty to help.
13:04If there is room for it,
13:05to help in a peaceful solution.
13:07And if there is no room for it,
13:09then we'll have to think.
13:10But I'd prefer not to...
13:12Mexico has announced
13:16one of its biggest tariff strikes in decades,
13:19hitting more than 1,400 products
13:21from countries without a trade pact,
13:23and India is one of the biggest targets.
13:26From cars to steel,
13:27the impact is huge.
13:28So what does this mean for India's exports?
13:31Here is a report by Jyoti Shukla.
13:40Mexico has triggered
13:41one of its biggest protectionist moves in decades,
13:44and India is caught right in the middle of it.
13:47Starting January 1st, 2026,
13:49Mexico will impose tariffs
13:50between 5% and 50%
13:52on more than 1,460 products
13:55from any country
13:56that does not have a free trade agreement with it.
13:59India is one of those countries.
14:01China, too.
14:02So what's behind this sudden tariff strike?
14:05There are four clear reasons.
14:07First, Mexico wants to stop
14:09the flood of cheap Chinese imports.
14:11China's trade surplus with Mexico
14:13has crossed $100 billion.
14:15Mexican steel, auto parts,
14:17and textiles have been badly hit.
14:19Many Chinese companies
14:20are also using Mexico
14:22as a base to re-export goods into the US.
14:25Mexico wants to shut that route down.
14:28Second, Mexico is signalling loyalty to Washington.
14:30The US-Mexico trade deal
14:32comes up for review in 2026.
14:34Both Biden and Donald Trump
14:36have warned Mexico
14:37about being a gateway for Chinese goods.
14:40By taxing non-FTA countries,
14:42Mexico is telling the US,
14:44we're on your side.
14:46Third, politics.
14:47The Shinbom government is selling this
14:50as a move to protect local industries and jobs.
14:53And fourth, revenue.
14:55These tariffs will generate
14:57nearly $4 billion a year
14:58for Mexico's budget.
15:01So how badly does this hit India?
15:03Quite hard.
15:04After China,
15:05India is one of the biggest losers
15:06under this new regime.
15:08India exports nearly $1 billion
15:10worth of passenger vehicles
15:11to Mexico every year.
15:13From January,
15:14these cars will face a 50% tariff,
15:16more than double the current rate.
15:19That makes Indian cars
15:20almost unviable
15:21unless companies start assembling in Mexico.
15:24Auto parts worth up to $700 million
15:26will face tariffs of 25 to 50%.
15:29Iron and steel exports around $900 million
15:32will now attract duties of 35 to 40%.
15:36Textiles, apparel and footwear worth
15:39over half a billion dollars
15:40will face duties above 30%.
15:42And chemicals and pharmaceuticals
15:44will see moderate tariffs between 15 and 30%.
15:48In total,
15:49India exported nearly $9 billion
15:51worth of goods to Mexico last year.
15:53A 25 to 40% fall
15:55is now expected in the affected sectors.
15:58India has taken the issue up diplomatically.
16:01The push now is for a fast-track trade agreement
16:03or at least partial tariff relief
16:05covering automobiles and steel.
16:07In short,
16:08Mexico's move is aimed at China,
16:10but India becomes collateral damage.
16:12The winners are Mexican domestic industries
16:15and the US.
16:16The losers,
16:17Indian exporters,
16:18Chinese firms
16:19and ultimately Mexican consumers
16:21who will now pay more.
16:23With Jyoti Shukla,
16:24Bureau Report,
16:25India Today Global.
16:29And here are some other stories
16:31we couldn't really focus on
16:32in World at a Glance.
16:34Kilmer Abrego,
16:48whose wrongful deportation case
16:49drew attention under President Donald Trump's
16:51immigration policies,
16:53said he would stand firm against
16:55all of the injustices
16:56this government has imposed.
16:58After a US judge ordered his release
17:00from the immigration detention,
17:02He was allowed to return
17:03to his Maryland home
17:05despite repeated declarations
17:07from Trump administration officials
17:09that he would never again be free
17:11in the United States.
17:13The Trump administration plans
17:14to appeal the ruling.
17:19NATO Chief Mark Ruta
17:21urged allies to step up defense efforts
17:23to prevent a war
17:24waged by Russia
17:25that could be on the scale of war
17:27our grandparents
17:28and great-grandparents endured.
17:30He also said Russia
17:32could be ready
17:33to use military force
17:34against NATO
17:35within five years.
17:36Meanwhile,
17:37the Prime Ministers of Latvia,
17:39Estonia,
17:40Lithuania
17:40met for discussions
17:42focusing on regional security
17:43and NATO cooperation
17:45amid ongoing tensions
17:46in Eastern Europe.
17:48The meeting aimed at
17:49strengthening NATO's presence
17:50in the region,
17:51especially the eastern flank.
17:53Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
17:59Go Jiakun said
18:00Japanese militarism
18:02is the enemy of people worldwide.
18:04Go said this
18:05on the 12th National Memorial Day
18:07for Nanjing Massacre victims
18:08which falls on December 13th.
18:11This year marks
18:12the 80th anniversary
18:13of the victory
18:14of the Chinese People's War
18:15of Resistance
18:16Against Japanese Aggression
18:17and the World Anti-Fascist War
18:19as well as China's recovery of Taiwan.
18:23President Donald Trump's decision
18:27to dismantle
18:28the U.S. Agency
18:29for International Development
18:30and slash global aid programs
18:32severe lifelines for children.
18:34The U.S. agency
18:35was funding the purchase
18:36and distribution
18:37of roughly half the world's
18:38supply of ready-to-use
18:40therapeutic food,
18:41a nutrient-dense
18:42peanut-based paste
18:43used to treat children
18:45with the most lethal form
18:46of undernourishment
18:47known as severe acute,
18:49malnutrition or wasting.
18:50UNICEF,
18:51the world's largest buyer
18:52and distributor of RUTF,
18:54said the nutritious paste
18:56in parts of Kenya
18:57were reaching health facilities
18:58in more critical condition.
19:04That's all on this edition
19:05of India Today Global.
19:06But before I go,
19:07here's statecraft for you
19:08on the upcoming elections
19:10in Bangladesh.
19:11With Awami League out,
19:13Hasina exiled,
19:14BNP set to sweep elections,
19:16what does it mean?
19:27Bangladesh is racing toward
19:29a February 2026 election
19:31that already looks
19:33less like a democratic comeback
19:34and more like a political deja vu
19:37soaked in irony, rage
19:39and recycled chaos.
19:41Nobel laureate Mohamed Yunus,
19:43now the unlikely administrator
19:45of a post-uprising nation,
19:47has announced
19:48the first national vote
19:50since the students' uprising
19:51that toppled Sheikh Hasina.
19:53But instead of a glorious
19:55democratic reset,
19:56the country is spiraling back
19:58into the same old cycle.
20:00Boycotts, bans, bitterness
20:02and ballot box theatre.
20:05The Awami League
20:06has been struck off the map.
20:07Hasina herself in India
20:09after fleeing the 2024 revolt
20:11is facing the death penalty
20:13in her home country.
20:15Her party has been banned
20:17and is now refusing
20:18to touch these polls.
20:19BNP is positioned to win.
20:22Jamaat is back.
20:23Student leaders are scrambling
20:25and the ghost of 2014
20:27hangs over the entire country.
20:30With February 2026
20:32turning into a mirror
20:33of past betrayals,
20:35will Bangladesh
20:35ever see real democracy?
20:38Hello and welcome.
20:39You're watching Statecraft
20:40with me, Geeta Mohan.
20:49To understand how explosive
20:51this moment truly is,
20:53you have to rewind
20:54to the contradictions
20:55built into Bangladesh's history.
20:57In this nation,
20:58democracy always arrives
21:00with conditions,
21:02warnings,
21:02coups,
21:03boycotts
21:04and retribution.
21:06Eunice calls
21:07the February 2026 election
21:08an important milestone,
21:10a turning point
21:11after the historic
21:122024 uprising.
21:14But the Awami League
21:15says it's nothing
21:17more than the same
21:17old power grab
21:18in a new outfit.
21:20In 2014,
21:22BNP boycotted
21:23Hasina's election
21:24because she scrapped
21:25the caretaker system.
21:27Hasina's banned
21:28Awami League
21:28is boycotting
21:30because they claim
21:31Eunice's administration
21:32isn't neutral either.
21:34The decision to
21:35deregister Awami League
21:37wasn't framed as a ban,
21:38but the effect
21:39is the same.
21:40They cannot contest
21:42February 2026.
21:44Over 1,300
21:45Awami League leaders
21:46are jailed.
21:47Hasina's name
21:48is tied
21:49to war crimes probes.
21:51Key figures
21:51are exiled,
21:53assets frozen,
21:55activists hunted,
21:56and the party
21:57is being pushed
21:58into a corner
21:59it once pushed
22:00others into.
22:01The irony bites deep.
22:03The same Awami League
22:04that crushed
22:05BNP's ability
22:06to compete
22:06in 2014
22:07and 2018
22:08is now being crushed
22:10under the Eunice
22:11administration
22:12in 2026.
22:14The ground reality
22:15is brutal.
22:16Without the Awami League,
22:18the February 2026
22:19election will be
22:20more competitive
22:21than Hasina-era elections
22:23but less inclusive
22:24than meaningful
22:25democracy demands.
22:27BNP,
22:28Jamaat,
22:28and smaller groups
22:29may sweep,
22:30but sweeping
22:30a tainted field
22:32doesn't heal
22:33the wounds
22:33of legitimacy.
22:35Millions of Awami League
22:36supporters risk
22:37being left
22:37politically homeless.
22:39Hasina,
22:40speaking from India,
22:41warns that if her
22:42party remains excluded,
22:44her supporters
22:45will boycott
22:45the vote en masse.
22:47That means
22:48the turnout
22:49could collapse,
22:50the mandate
22:51could be questioned,
22:52and the victory,
22:53whoever claims it,
22:55could be fragile
22:55from day one.
22:57The army wants
22:58the election sooner
22:59to stabilize the country.
23:01BNP wants
23:02December 2025.
23:05Eunice chose
23:05February 2026.
23:08And Awami League
23:09wants no election
23:10unless they're allowed
23:12back in.
23:12Can a nation
23:14with this much
23:15political memory
23:16ever start fresh?
23:18When every party
23:18remembers decades
23:20of betrayal,
23:21when every victor
23:22uses the state
23:23to crush opponents,
23:24when every loser
23:25claims victimhood,
23:27Bangladesh cycles
23:28through vengeance,
23:29not transition,
23:31through purges,
23:32not healing,
23:33through exclusion,
23:35not inclusion.
23:36and the future.
23:37We'll see you next time.
23:38We'll see you next time.
23:39Transcription by CastingWords
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