The Rohingya Refugee Crisis : The Role of Identity in Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy and its Impact on the Rights of the Refugees

Abstract: Human rights and foreign policy often come together in dealing with humanitarian crises, especially when we consider how a country’s foreign policy affects the rights of refugees as protection of the refugees often involves bringing together international actors and different countries. One such example is the Rohingya refugee crisis. Since the outbreak of the Rohingya refugee crisis in 2017, Bangladesh’s foreign policy and its aims have directly impacted the rights of the refugees who have sought shelter in Bangladesh. The country has adopted a foreign policy that aims to seek assistance in hosting the refugees while putting pressure on Myanmar to take back the refugees. In doing so, Bangladesh has both protected the rights of refugees and has restricted or threatened them. Bangladesh’s identity as a Muslim majority state and also one of fast economic growth has played a significant role in shaping Bangladesh’s policy. A meaningful analysis of Bangladesh’s foreign policy concerning the Rohingya and its impact on their rights, therefore, requires us to use the theory of constructivism in international relations studies. Constructivism’s focus on identity as the primary shaping foreign policy grants us the tools to understand how and why Bangladesh treated the Rohingya humanitarian crisis.