Bangladesh, March 6 -- In diplomacy, visits are rarely just visits. They are signals—sometimes subtle, sometimes unmistakable—about the direction of geopolitical winds. When US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur arrived in Dhaka from March 3 to March 5, 2026, it was presented as a routine engagement aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. Meetings with ministers, political leaders, business representatives, and policy advisers were framed as part of Washingtons effort to deepen economic cooperation and security collaboration with Bangladeshs newly formed government.

Yet beneath the familiar language of partnership lies a deeper strategic question. At the center of the conversation ar...