The Rohingya Safe Zone: A Technical Analysis of Bangladesh’s Strategic Opportunity to Establish Depth and Encircle Northeast India

Reading Time: 4 minutes The establishment of a Rohingya Safe Zone in Myanmar’s Rakhine State represents a critical geopolitical juncture for Bangladesh. Beyond its immediate humanitarian objectives, the initiative offers Dhaka a unique strategic opportunity to create depth in its eastern frontier and effectively encircle India’s north-eastern states by gaining influence over multiple access corridors. This technical analysis explores the geostrategic dynamics underpinning this opportunity, examines the limitations of India’s Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, and articulates the implications for Bangladesh’s national security and regional power projection. Strategic Depth through Eastern Buffer Zone Strategic depth, a core military concept referring to the territorial space that allows a state to absorb and counter external aggression, remains limited for Bangladesh along its eastern border with Myanmar. The Rohingya Safe Zone, if established under Bangladeshi stewardship with UN backing, can serve as a forward operating base extending Dhaka’s strategic influence into Rakhine State.