Bangladesh's Leadership in BIMSTEC: Strategic Pathways to IndoPacific Diplomacy

By taking the leadership in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Bangladesh is at a crucial moment in its regional and global diplomatic history. As the organization increasingly adapts to the emerging Indo-Pacific strategic order, Bangladesh's two-year term presents both opportunities and challenges for advancing its national interests as well as fostering regional stability. This paper explores how Bangladesh could leverage its leadership capacity within BIMSTEC to enhance its diplomatic action and build strategic pathways toward the broader Indo-Pacific region. Employing a qualitative approach and drawing on an extensive secondary literature review, including the official websites of BIMSTEC and Bangladesh, policy papers, regional cooperation discourses, and newspapers, this article examines Bangladesh's leadership across three interrelated aspects: regional governance, strategic diplomacy, and economic connectivity. This article argues that Bangladesh's leadership will play an active role by focusing on shared growth, maritime security, and sustainable development in adherence with the tenets of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). In addition, the study demonstrates how Bangladesh's "Bay of Bengal diplomacy" complements its Indo-Pacific Outlook (IPO) and diversification of friendship beyond traditional powers. However, the study also proceeds structural limitations—institutional weaknesses within BIMSTEC, overlapping regional designs, and great-power rivalry—that may limit Bangladesh's potential. However, the article concludes with a remark that Bangladesh's BIMSTEC leadership offers a strategic window to project normative leadership, promote regional cohesion, and assert its voice in shaping an equitable Indo-Pacific order.