For decades after Myanmar gained independence, the country was unable to free itself from the military’s domination of political power. The people of Myanmar, too, repeatedly suffered the consequences of successive military dictatorships.

Capturing a town is a military outcome. But establishing credible security, rule of law, administration, taxation and public services in that town is a political outcome.

The session opened on September 8 under the theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.” Rahman’s presidency also marks Bangladesh’s return to the leadership of the General Assembly after nearly four decades.

If the AA wins these battles, another question attracting considerable public interest is how its relations with major powers such as China and India might change.

The questions that deserve greater attention are: Why did we reach this point? How can we find a way out of this crisis? And, ultimately, what kind of country do we want to build when the crisis is over?

Trees do all of this without electricity, fuel or a maintenance contract, and they never send us a bill. Perhaps that is part of the problem: because many of these services come free, we have become accustomed to treating them as if they have little value.

If we count the years on our fingers, 59 years have already passed. It was August 13, 1967. Yet whenever I try to picture that day, the pain only deepens.

“The Myanmar military created the system that drove the Rohingya from their homeland. The Arakan Army must not be allowed to continue such persecution under a different flag.”

The day also recognizes the invaluable contributions of Indigenous Peoples in preserving cultural diversity, traditional knowledge, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability.

The recent joint military exercises between Myanmar's military junta and Russia have once again underscored the deepening military relationship between the two countries. Conducted in Naypyidaw over nearly two weeks, the exercises reportedly included counterterrorism operations, counter-drone warfare, tropical assault tactics and demonstrations of Russian military hardware.

A few days ago, I met a high school Burmese language teacher. At his home, I noticed a thick photocopied manuscript. Curious, I asked about it and learned that it contained draft texts selected by the Curriculum Development Committee of the Arakan National Education Department for use in the Grade 12 curriculum.

The people of Arakan must continue to hold on to Arakan rather than abandon it. We must endure hardships together and remain witnesses to the building of a new nation.

Today, I chose the phrase “The Political Shift in Arakan and the Echoes of the People.” What I want to discuss is the current situation in Arakan, the expectations of Arakan’s leaders, and the political and revolutionary trajectory of the Arakan people. In this article, I intend to briefly present the major realities I am currently observing.

What we call conservatism does not arise suddenly. It is rooted in a desire to preserve social stability and tradition. As a result, conservative customs and local practices exist in many communities. In villages, these are often formalized as “village rules,” or gama-panyat, norms that define what must and must not be done.

If I were to say that my grandmother, my mother’s mother, belongs to a generation that preserved the tradition of the kerosene lamp, it would be both fitting and accurate.

Bangladesh’s political landscape entered an extraordinary turning point in 2026. The fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, which had dominated power for nearly two decades, not only reshaped Bangladesh but also disrupted the geopolitical balance across South Asia.

A photograph of a burned body stripped of identity, stripped of pride, stripped even of sensation has painfully captured the public’s attention following the attack on the Darlatchaung prisoner-of-war detention camp.

“Are we Arakan people all going to become traders and merchants? Will our people stop studying altogether? It is impossible for an entire nation to live without education. One day, everyone will study again. No matter how long it takes, no matter how long we go without salaries, I will wait for that day.”

This raises important questions: could relations between Bangladesh’s new government and Arakan see a meaningful shift? What policy direction might Bangladesh’s ruling party take? And how might urgent issues, border stability, humanitarian access, and the Muslim/Rohingya refugee crisis evolve amid ongoing conflict in Myanmar?