Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist - December 2017

The year 2017 was witness to major developments in the world arena. In west Europe, Britain voted itself out from the EU, formally dubbed as ‘Brexit’; while Catalonia - an important historical constituency of Spain, has been bidding for elections for separate statehood and independence. Meanwhile, the US President, Trump, in typical fashion, has unequivocally declared Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, which was promptly denounced by the UN. 2017 also saw the passage of many important presidential elections – including the French, German and Czech Republic’s.

Closer home, as 2017 draws to a close, we bring three special country reports.

The fi rst report carries a feature from Bangladesh, which recently celebrated
its 47th ‘Victory Day’, a war that was hard-fought by the Bengali nation
with Pakistani forces. The independence came at a heavy price, as there was much loss of lives – of unarmed civilians as well. Today, Bangladesh is making giant strides towards progress, as it records a steady 7.28 percent growth percentage with the poverty rate reduced to an equitable 22.4 percent. Bangladesh has also done its bit on the humanitarian ground, by providing shelter to millions of forcibly displaced homeless Rohingyas.