Bangladesh, Dec. 26 -- As Bangladesh approaches yet another defining political transition, the country has become the center of an unusual and consequential diplomatic experiment. Over the past year, Washington has intensified its engagement with Bangladeshs Islamist parties, most prominently the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB). This shift in American diplomacy – subtle at first, now increasingly explicit – signals a strategic recalibration that could reshape South Asias political trajectory in unexpected ways.

The Biden and Trump administrations may disagree on many fronts, but when it comes to Bangladesh, both seem to have converged on a shared assumption: Islamists will hold a larger stake in the ...