Military and Development in Bangladesh

SUMMARY This article traces the origins of the Bangladesh army back to the British East India Company's army and follows its development through the colonial period, looking at the consequences of the exclusion of Bengalis after 1857. It shows why the Bengali sections of the Pakistan army were brought to the point of revolt in the national liberation struggle of 1971, and examines the factors which inhibited the development of a people's army and people's war. The erosion of public support for the Mujib government and the 1971 takeover are discussed. It is concluded that though there were important grievances internal to the military, the economic situation was the most significant element in these events. Resume Militarisme et développement au Bangladesh Cet article attribue les origines de l'armée du Bangladesh à l'armée de la British East India Company et suit son développement au cours de la période coloniale, examinant les conséquences de l'exclusion des Bengalis, après 1857. Il démontre pourquoi les factions bengalis de l'armée pakistanaise furent au point de se révolter lors de la lutte de libération nationale de 1971, et examine les facteurs qui entravèrent le développement d'une armée populaire et d'une guerre populaire. L'érosion du soutien public pour le gouvernement Mujib et la prise de pouvoir de 1971, sont examinées. L'article conclut que, malgré l'existence de griefs considérables au sein même de l'armée, c'est à la situation économique qu'il convient d'attribuer le rôle prépondérant, dans ces événements. Resumen El militarismo y el desarrollo en Bangladesh En este artículo se investigan los orígenes del ejército de Bangladesh remontándose hasta el ejército de la Compañía británica de la India Oriental y sigue su evolución a través del período colonial, poniendo de relieve las consecuencias de la exclusión de los bengalíes después de 1857. Se indica por qué las secciones bengalíes del ejército de Pakistán casi llegaron al borde de la revuelta en la lucha de liberación nacional de 1971 y se examinan los factores que impidieron la creación de un ejército del pueblo y una guerra del pueblo. Se analizan la erosión del apoyo popular para el gobierno de Mujib y el golpe de estado de 1971. Se llega a la conclusión de que aunque existían importantes agravios internos hacia los militares, la situación económica fue el elemento más significativo de dichos acontecimientos

Some humans are more human than others: troubling the 'human' in human security from a critical feminist perspective

This article develops critical feminist engagement with human security by interrogating the taken-for-granted category of the 'human' therein. Failure to reflectively deconstruct this category has contributed to human security's reproduction of dominant norms and the emptiness of its apparent radical promise. The article shows how the 'human' has historically been constructed as an exclusionary - and fundamentally gendered - category, and examines its construction in human security discourse and the capabilities approach in which the latter is rooted, as well as its discursive effects. The article troubles the model of the autonomous, rational human subject who is the bearer of capabilities, which human security inherits from the liberal humanist tradition of thought, and which obscures the matrices of power through which individuals become socially differentiated. It then considers the implication of human security in demarcating differences as 'morally relevant', including its instrumentalization in the 'war on terror'