Speakers & Organizers   

www.DefendDemocracy.org Biography
Maneeza Hossain is the Manager of Democracy Programs at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. As part of her South Asia focus, Ms Hossain periodically visits the region and meticulously follows its political developments. Her article, "The World Cannot Afford to Ignore Bangladesh" in the Asian Wall Street Journal in August 2005 was a clarion call against the world apathy towards the rise of terrorist activity in Bangladesh.

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Ms Hossain received a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies in 1999 from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School Law in 2004.

As Manager of Democracy Programs, Ms Hossain serves as an Editor of the Iraq Democracy Papers. She manages the operations of Iraq Democracy Information Center and was the project coordinator for the Iraqi Women's Educational Institute (IWEI).

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Session IN33: Bangladesh
February 20, 11:00 - 11:45 Elections in Bangladesh: A Test for the Viability of Democracy
Abstract:
Bangladesh is soon to face a critical challenge, one that could destroy its fragile hold on democracy and about which only a few, including regional superpower India, are deeply concerned. The 2007 elections will be a crucial juncture in the country?s history, the region, and beyond.

Corruption, experienced and alleged, affects both everyday governance and the preparation for the elections. Accusations of plans for electoral fraud have further depleted the public confidence in the political system. In parallel, a heightened religious-political discourse posits itself as an alternative, and ushers the slide of Bangladesh into a radical Islamist failed state.

It remains incumbent on mainstream political forces to maintain and confirm the separation of politics and religion, which has enabled Bangladesh to proceed with a relatively successful experimentation with democracy

The reception of Islamist _expression among the Bangladeshi public may be surprising to many observers. Islam, which was at the core of the emergence of Bangladeshi identity, is not an impediment but an asset in Bangladesh's development and evolution (physical as well as moral) into the universal, global, humanistic civilization. The attractiveness of radical ideologies to some segments of our own population is reflective of the failure to offer the people of Bangladesh a genuine partnership. It is important to note that these attitudes are not a reflection of ignorance but a result of disenchantment with the hollow discourse of democracy promoted by the political class against a background of corruption and economic disparity. In 2007 all strata and all communities in Bangladesh must be offered a stake, a genuine and substantive one, in the fate of the country.