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SYNOPSIS

The liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971 took place amidst the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union. The Soviet Union supported Bangladesh from the early stages of the war and vetoed anti-Bangladesh resolutions in the UN. In contrast, the US supported Pakistan and sent a nuclear fleet to help Pakistan, viewing the conflict as part of the Cold War. Both superpowers acted in their own strategic interests during the war, which ultimately led to the independence of Bangladesh.

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Rakhil Ahmed
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50 views6 pages

SYNOPSIS

The liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971 took place amidst the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union. The Soviet Union supported Bangladesh from the early stages of the war and vetoed anti-Bangladesh resolutions in the UN. In contrast, the US supported Pakistan and sent a nuclear fleet to help Pakistan, viewing the conflict as part of the Cold War. Both superpowers acted in their own strategic interests during the war, which ultimately led to the independence of Bangladesh.

Uploaded by

Rakhil Ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How bio-polar security architecture had influenced the out of

Bangladesh liberation war of 1971?


Make an assessment with particular reference to the role pf
super powers.

1. INTRODUCTION
2. AIM
3. BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR OF 1971
4. THE ROLE OF SUPER POWER
5. THE ROLE OF SOVIET UNION (RUSSIA)
6. THE ROLE OF USA (UNITED STATE OF AMERICA)
7. THE ROLE OF UNITED NATION
8. CONCLUSION
9. REFERENCE
Introduction:
Bipolarity is a form of international order in which two states control the majority
of global, economic, military, and cultural influence. The authoritative case of a
bipolar world is the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Bangladesh was born as a nation-state in a bipolar international system in 1971,
after a violent independence struggle. During the Cold War, it was bio-polar and
the two superpowers, the United States of America (USA) and the former Union
of Soviet Socialist Countries (USSR), became the two poles, respectively leading
the Western capitalist and Eastern socialist blocs. Both superpowers acted as
preponderant powers, shaping the strategic choices of the majority of nation
states. Bangladesh's birth in 1971 was a game on the world stage in which many
teams, including superpowers, played their cards directly or indirectly when
grappling with the power balance in the international arena at the time.

Aim

The aim of this research is to identify the influence of the bipolar security
architecture and the role of the global superpowers at that time on the liberation
war of 1971 and formation of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh liberation war of 1971


Before 1971, Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan. Then we were the part of
then Pakistan. They started to oppress us in many ways. They did not give our
rights. On 25 March 1971 the Pakistani army invaded our mother land. They killed
many people and injured a lot. Many women were tortured by them. Thousands
of them were raped and killed. Many people fled to India to survive. But people
could not bear any more. They made themselves ready to face the Pakistani army.
Many common people, with the help of Indian government, fought against them.
They fought for Liberation. So it is called Liberation War of Bangladesh. Then
Sheikh Mujib was the leader and General Ataul Gani Osmani was the Army Chief.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman played the lead role in gaining independence. He inspired
people to fight for mother land. Common people of Bengal went to battle field
with the dream of having a free mother land. And it was the great leader Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman who made people dream for an independent country. It was not
easy for the common people to fight against the trained armies of Pakistan. They
fought for nine month and after nine month we gained our liberation. But this
liberation took lives of more than thirty lakh of people. Now we are a free nation.
We remember the freedom fighter with great respect.

The Role of Super Power

The role of Soviet Union (Russia)


Soviet Union from the very beginning supported the Liberation war of
Bangladesh. Up to July 1971 it urged to resolve the conflict in the framework of
united Pakistan. The signing of 20 years long Indo-Soviet friendship treaty in
August 1971 gave India assurance of countermeasures in case of a confrontation
with the US or China. Soviet role became more active and visible following the
beginning of India- Pakistan war on 3 December. SU voted twice in the UN
Security Council on 7 December 1971 after US resolution for "immediate cease-
fire and withdrawal of troops" During this debate in the UN, Soviet Union for the
first time recognized the movement of Bangladesh as a National Liberation
Movement. SU’s veto gave the joint Indo-Bangladesh force necessary time to
reach Dhaka and led to the surrender of the Pakistan army. Soviet Naval ships
with nuclear missiles from Vladivostok were deployed to counter the US nuclear
Task Force 70 USS Enterprise to the Bay of Bengal on 11 December 1971. They
stayed in the Indian Ocean from 18 December until 7 January 1972.
The role of USA (United State of America)
The United States of America initially considered the East Pakistan crisis as an
internal affair of Pakistan. It also looked at the whole issue from the context of
the Cold War politics and strategies. US authority did not express any moral and
humanitarian concern in the mass killing of the Bengalis. The Archer K Blood
telegram on the genocide caused no affect on President Nixon and Foreign
Secretary Henry Kissinger. Despite the genocide, US continued to support
Pakistan by military and economic aid. US decision to send nuclear powered 7th
Fleet aircraft career USS Enterprise for helping Pakistan proved wrong and
created a huge discontent. USA needed Pakistan badly as Pakistan was working as
a media to establish a new relation with China. With China on her side US would
gain greater advantage against Soviet Union.

The role of United Nation


Bangladesh had the first official delegate to the UN on 4 December 1971. The
World Health Organization, UNICEF, and World Food Program provided aid to the
refugees. The United Nations established the United Nations East Pakistan Relief
Operation (UNEPRO) on 17 July 1971. The operation was headed by John R Kelly
at the beginning and later he was replaced by Paul Mckee Henry. In March 1971,
millions of people sought refuge in neighbouring India. In April, the government
of India requested the United Nations to provide humanitarian assistance to the
refugees and the United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim initiated the
response.

Conclusion
The role of super powers in the war of liberation brought to bold relief the reality
of international politics during the early 1970s. Each of the two super powers
played its part in accordance with its own national, regional and global interests.

Bangladesh, as a part of Pakistan, was a geopolitical rarity with its own cogent
reasons for successful separation from a post colonial polity. In addition, it was a
land struggling for independence at a time when global politics was undergoing
strategic shifts. Involvement of the superpowers, positive or negative, resulted in
the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign state.

Reference

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