Concerning immigration, the Trump policy is that of extreme uncertainty. If in case there is a terror attack to strike America any time soon and if there is confirmation of any Bangladeshi, Indian or Pakistani’s involvement anyhow, the possibility is – there could well be new Asian countries to be added in the list of his ban on immigration besides South America, Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, surrounded by ultra-nationalists it is not yet clear what racist policies he may resort to next.
In terms of manufacturing – RMG product is the number one item in the list of our export items, and it is none other than the United States which is still our biggest export destination. Nevertheless, Bangladesh lost duty-free access to the US market (benefits of Generalised System of Preferences) in 2013 as a result of back to back factory disasters. Though our business leaders in the country believe that there will be little impact on its trade with the US but historically speaking, there have been no major changes in US trade policy towards Bangladesh in the last three decades or so. The age-old trait cannot be confirmed not to change this time, at least – as far as Mr. Trump’s intense criticism regarding outsourcing is concerned. Though he clearly mentioned the names China and Mexico but then again – it can well include more countries in the near or distant future during his first term in office.
The apparent fear is on the topic of climate change since Bangladesh stands on the frontline of countries vulnerable and regularly affected by climate change. Mr. Trump does not anyhow accept the overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is occurring and ambiguously addressed the Paris Agreement by saying his ‘doors are open’ for further consideration. The recent agreement was signed by nearly 200 countries last December and of which Bangladesh is a signatory too. To make matters worse, the environmental agenda is at a point of contention for Bangladesh. If the Trump administration ends up adopting opposing environmental policies and withdraws from international agreements including reduction of funding (despite the US being the second largest greenhouse gas emitter), it will set a dangerous precedent discouraging other countries and this in turn will affect implementation of environment projects in Bangladesh.
Lastly, none of the executive orders so far targeted Bangladesh in particular but that air of fear mixed with insecurity is looming at large. Moreover, if all countries and most importantly like a super power like the US, pursue their own interests how will issues with global implications be addressed? We are worried.
