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The year 2024 witnessed elections across the globe with nearly half of the world’s population voting. However, this year observed political instability in countries like Bangladesh, Syria, several others in the African continent, etc. The political upheavals from Bangladesh to Syria are testimony to the violent regime changes of this year.
Illustration by The Geostrata
It led to political instability, economic tensions, social chaos, not only in these nations but also in their neighbourhood. This article analyses the shift in political dynamics in countries of Bangladesh, Syria, etc, and its political, and socio-economic repercussions on those nations and its neighbourhood.
The former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from the country on August 5, after massive escalation of student protests in Bangladesh, marking the termination of her rule which lasted since 2009. Currently, Muhammad Yunus is the leader of the Interim Government. After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, the crisis has magnified, leading to security concerns, economic instability, communal violence, etc.
The country witnessed the fall of democratic government and currently faces uncertainty over its future political dynamics. The instability in Bangladesh has translated into regional tension with India and Myanmar. The bilateral relationship with India has marked to be critically low due to atrocities on Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Moreover, this has a ripple effect on India’s border security and cross-border issues like illegal migration. Furthermore, amidst the existing crisis, the Arakan Army from Myanmar has reportedly intruded into Bangladesh from its southern border. These changing landscapes in Bangladesh have contributed towards aggravating conditions in its security, political, and socio-economic scenario.
In Syria, the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized power, ending the Assad family regime that had been enthroned since the 1970s. First, the rebel groups led by HTS took over the city of Aleppo, then Hama, Homs, and finally captured Damascus by December 8. The country witnessed civil war for over two decades under Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Syria has transitioned from an authoritarian regime under Assad’s rule to an interim government led by Islamist militant group HTS. This shift is likely to have profound implications on Syria and in West Asia’s regional dynamics. With the absence of a government which is unified and unrecognised internationally, there is limited scope for improvement and would likely deepen and aggravate the economic and humanitarian crisis faced by the Syrians.
Amidst the conflict between Israel against Iran and its axis of resistance groups involving Hamas, Hezbollah, etc; reignited Syrian crisis has aggravated the regional turmoil in West Asia.
Pivoting towards Africa, in May, there was an attempt of a potential coup in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against the government of President Felix Tshisekedi and his fellow legislator Vital Kamerhe. The attackers reached the official residence of the President and clashes occurred between them and the security officials.
Though the coup failed, it sent a surprise wave across the region as it has experienced several coups and its attempts in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, etc, since 2020. Another nation Sudan is facing a continued civil war since 2023, which has heavily impacted its economy and faces a massive humanitarian crisis. This war commenced as a power struggle between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSP) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The country has endured decades of conflict which worsened in 2019 after the ouster of Omar al-Bashir, a dictator who ruled since 1989. The ongoing civil war amongst the SAF and RSP has deteriorated the living conditions of Sudanese, making it more precarious with 8.1 million civilians displaced since 2023.
Across the Atlantic, Haiti witnessed a transitional government in April, led by Michel Patrick Boisvert as the interim Prime Minister, amidst the prolonged security concerns. This government is supported by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
This Caribbean country has endured long years of political instability due to gang-wars, which has intensified after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. With the new government in power, CARICOM envisages an opportunity to resolve issues of violence and humanitarian crisis, and restore the political stability in Haiti.
Apart from the Bangladesh crisis, South Asia has observed a civil war in Myanmar which has continued since the military coup against the democratic government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. The conflict involves multiple stakeholders like the military junta/Tatmadaw, various ethnic armed organisations (EAOs), National Unity Government, etc.
Since the past four years, this conflict continues to deteriorate as it is challenging to achieve any consolidated solution over this political instability due involvement of various parties.
The toppled governments in Bangladesh, Syria, and Africa, draws a picture of political turmoil across the world. The repercussions of regime failure in certain countries have further aggravated its security, socio-political, and economic landscape.
This political unrest and instability have disturbed the regional security in South Asia, West Asia, and Africa and has adverse effects globally.
However, with collaborative efforts from the international community, regional groupings, and local stakeholders, the situation can be given a renewed opportunity to improve the current turbulence to restore peace and stability.
BY ARYA GHADIGAONKAR
TEAM GEOSTRATA
Definitely a year of churn