Bangladesh, June 21 -- For nearly a decade, Bangladeshs engagement with Myanmar has been shaped by one overwhelming concern: the Rohingya crisis. Since the mass displacement of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmars Rakhine State in 2017, Dhaka has shouldered the responsibility of hosting more than one million refugees while simultaneously seeking international support for their safe and dignified return. The humanitarian dimension of the crisis remains one of the most pressing challenges facing Bangladesh today.

Yet a fundamental geopolitical transformation is unfolding on Bangladeshs southeastern frontier, one that demands equal-if not greater-attention. The rise of the Arakan Army as the dominant authority across much of Rakhine State has alt...