Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies: A Strategic Asset Turned Liability

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), once envisioned as a credible platform for independent strategic analysis and national security discourse, has regrettably shifted into the orbit of external influence—chiefly Indian strategic narratives. Under the continued leadership of Major General ANM Muniruzzaman (retd), the institution has increasingly abandoned a balanced and sovereign outlook in favour of perspectives that echo New Delhi’s talking points. This trajectory has not only diminished BIPSS’s credibility but has also raised legitimate concerns about institutional capture, narrative distortion, and the erosion of Bangladesh’s strategic autonomy. At the heart of this issue lies the fundamental question: who benefits from the current posture of BIPSS? Instead of serving as a forum to evaluate threats and opportunities from a distinctly Bangladeshi lens, the think tank has evolved into a regional harmonisation body, functioning as if it were a soft extension of India’s strategic