Did U.S. Military Base Goals on St. Martin’s Island and Malacca Strait Interests Orchestrate the Bangladesh Coup?

Image Credit, Military_Material

In a world where geopolitical maneuvering often hides behind a veneer of diplomacy, the recent overthrow of the Bangladeshi government raises troubling questions. The ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had long resisted foreign pressures, hinted in multiple speeches at a sinister force behind her removal. According to her, the true reason for her ousting was her refusal to grant the United States a military base on St. Martin’s Island, a strategically crucial point in the Bay of Bengal. This suggests the government was not merely overthrown by discontented citizens but by a foreign power with deep strategic interests.

St. Martin’s Island, though small in size, holds significant value for the U.S. military. Situated close to the Strait of Malacca, the second-largest oil passageway in the world behind the Strait of Hormuz, a base on this island would offer the United States an unparalleled vantage point. From there, it could monitor and potentially disrupt the flow of oil from the Middle East to China, a vital economic lifeline for the Asian giant. Additionally, such a base would allow the U.S. to strike at China from yet another front while maintaining a formidable presence in a region already bristling with American military footholds, from the Philippines to Japan.

The ousted Prime Minister’s claim that she was told by a foreign power to accept the base or face removal should send chills down the spine of anyone concerned with the integrity of national sovereignty. If true, it represents a blatant act of coercion by a superpower intent on expanding its global military footprint, irrespective of the cost to the local population. The fact that the new interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus, immediately recognized by the U.S. State Department, was previously awarded the U.S. Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Peace Prize, with heavy lobbying from the Clintons, only adds to the suspicion. This quick endorsement raises the question: was his ascent to power orchestrated to pave the way for U.S. military expansion in the region?

The historical context makes this scenario even more plausible. It is well-documented that the United States played a role in the 1975 coup that overthrew Bangladesh’s first government, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the grandfather of the recently ousted Prime Minister. The parallels between these two overthrows are striking. Both governments resisted U.S. influence, and both were removed under circumstances that, on closer inspection, appear heavily influenced by external forces. The installation of a compliant regime in Dhaka, one that would allow the U.S. to establish a base on St. Martin’s Island, seems like a calculated move to assert control over a crucial maritime chokepoint.

This is not merely speculation; it is a reflection of a pattern that has played out time and again across the globe. The United States, for all its rhetoric about democracy and self-determination, has a long history of toppling governments that do not align with its strategic interests. From Latin America to the Middle East, the playbook remains the same: identify a government that refuses to bend to U.S. demands, destabilize it using a combination of internal unrest and external pressure, and then install a more compliant regime under the guise of restoring order or promoting democracy.

In the case of Bangladesh, the pretext for the coup appears to have been public dissatisfaction with the government’s allocation of jobs to families of those who fought in the country’s liberation war. While there were undoubtedly legitimate grievances, as there are in any country, the speed and precision with which the government was toppled suggest a well-planned operation, rather than a spontaneous popular uprising. The real motive, it seems, was not the internal policies of the Bangladeshi government, but its refusal to serve as a pawn in the global chess game of military strategy.

This should serve as a wake-up call to the international community. The overthrow of this government, if indeed orchestrated by the United States, represents a dangerous escalation in the use of covert operations to achieve geopolitical objectives. It is a reminder that, for all the talk of international law and mutual respect among nations, the old rules of power politics still apply. The establishment of a U.S. military base on St. Martin’s Island would not only represent a direct threat to China and Iran but would also destabilize a region already fraught with tensions.

The people of Bangladesh, like those in many other countries, are not immune to the machinations of foreign powers. They deserve to know whether their government was overthrown because of legitimate internal discontent or because a superpower decided that their country was expendable in the pursuit of broader strategic goals. As the dust settles on this latest coup, the question remains: how many more governments will be toppled, and how many more nations will be forced into the role of unwilling pawns in a global power struggle?

The silence from Western media on this issue is deafening, which only serves to fuel the suspicion that something deeply troubling is at play. If the allegations are true, then the creation of a U.S. base on St. Martin’s Island would mark another chapter in the long history of imperial overreach, where the sovereignty of nations is trampled underfoot in the name of national security and global dominance. It would be a stark reminder that, in the eyes of some, the geopolitical map is still drawn by the strong at the expense of the weak.

For Bangladesh, the implications are profound. The country has already endured significant hardship in its quest for independence and stability. To now find itself the target of such manipulation by a foreign power is not only a violation of its sovereignty but a grave injustice to its people. If the world turns a blind eye to this, it sets a dangerous precedent, reinforcing the notion that might makes right, and that the voices of smaller nations can be silenced with the mere flick of a superpower’s hand.

The international community must demand transparency and accountability. The allegations surrounding the overthrow of the Bangladeshi government should be investigated thoroughly, and the role of foreign powers in this event must be brought to light. Only then can we begin to address the larger issue of how to protect the sovereignty of nations in an increasingly interconnected and competitive world.

As for the people of Bangladesh, they are left to navigate the fallout of a coup that may have been far more about the interests of a distant power than about their own. They deserve answers, and they deserve to have their voices heard. The world must not allow another nation to be sacrificed on the altar of strategic interests, and it is high time we question the true motives behind the seemingly endless cycle of regime changes orchestrated by those who wield the most power on the global stage.

The United States, with over 800 military bases globally and a defense budget exceeding $1 trillion in 2020 alone, is a formidable force. This staggering investment in military might underscores the influence of the U.S. military-industrial complex. The question is not if a base will be established on St. Martin’s Island under the new, U.S.-backed Bangladeshi leadership, but when. The successful coup and the swift installation of a favorable government suggest that it is only a matter of time before this strategic outpost becomes another extension of American military power.