The Bay of Bengal should be an economic superpower
Why isn’t it?
IT IS THE biggest bay on Earth—so big that five countries define the Bay of Bengal’s rim, among them India, the biggest country in the world by population, and Bangladesh, the eighth most populous. As such, the Bay of Bengal should be a natural and thriving economic space, binding South Asia and dynamic South-East Asia into one. But today it is a relative backwater. Ambitions are building to change that.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Bay of dreams”
More from Asia
Taiwan’s political drama is paralysing its government
Domestic dysfunction plays right into China’s hands
An angry culture war surrounds Australia Day
Conservatives claim that wokeness is destroying the national holiday
The fate of a ranting driver raises doubts about the “new” Uzbekistan
It seems free speech is not so guaranteed after all
Indian politicians are becoming obsessed with doling out cash
Handouts are transforming the role of the state—perhaps for the worse
How to end the nightmare of Asia’s choked roads
The middle classes love cars but hate traffic
Can Donald Trump maintain Joe Biden’s network of Asian alliances?
Discipline and creativity will help, but so will China’s actions