Bio
Bangladesh Institute for Geopolitical Studies (BIGS) is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of Geopolitics, key policy challenges for Bangladesh and worldwide. BIGS is committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased policy-oriented geopolitical research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community.
Established in 2025, Bangladesh Institute for Geopolitical Studies (BIGS) is an independent research think-tank based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It focuses on security dilemmas and geopolitical rivalries in the surrounding of Bangladesh and beyond.
Bangladesh Institute for Geopolitical Studies (BIGS)
For the first time since the Second World War, the existing global security and political order is changing rapidly from an Anglo-American Atlanticist unipolar order to a multipolar Eurasia-centric one. Similarly, for the first time since the First World War global economic “free trade” system is disintegrating into multiple regional “supply chain resilience hubs”. Post-Bretton-Woods institutions are being challenged by new ones. The powerful petrodollar is facing challenges on multiple fronts. Current Russia- Ukraine War is simply the latest manifestation of these geo-political conflagrations. All countries of the world will be politically and economically affected by these changes. Bangladesh being located between south Asia and south-east Asia with a fast-growing population as well as its access to the Bay of Bengal will not be immune to such changing global and regional order. Rather its domestic affairs will increasingly be driven by changes in global food, energy, seed, pharmaceuticals, fertilizer, and shipping markets. This provides a broad context for further research on multiple vectors.
Research Areas:
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- How would the emerging 21st-century global and regional order affect Bangladesh and its economy?
- Will petro-dollar survive with its “exorbitant privilege” or will it have to share its reserve currency status with other currencies? What effects will this have on our energy strategy and mix?
- What role will gold and silver play in any future monetary order? How would it affect Bangladesh’s monetary policy and reserve management?
- What roles would be emerging post-globalization international trade regimes play in future Bangladesh? (RCP, ASEAN, etc.)
- What steps can Bangladesh take to integrate itself into global supply chains of the industries in which economic competitiveness?
- What should be our connectivity strategy to empower our trade within competing global and regional initiatives?
- How can our economic and security diplomacy further our national interest?
- How would the blue ocean ‘strategy’ ensure our energy, food, and trade security?
- What should be our national security priorities for the 21st century?
- How can we effectively project our soft power regionally and globally?
- What should be our bio-security strategy?
- How can we develop a human resource strategy to enable the implementation of our national development policies?
- What should be our priority areas for industrial growth and development in the fourth industrial revolution era? How should we finance them?
- What role would artificial intelligence and robotics play in our national development and security strategies?
- How would digital currencies, blockchain, and big data enable our national development and security strategies?
- How can Bangladesh develop an innovative, resilient, and robust financial infrastructure to sustain its development as well as sustainable capital formation?
- What would be Bangladesh’s climate security strategy? How can we make our development initiatives align with it?
- How can Bangladesh, the largest delta in the world, be a center of research and practice for regenerative agriculture?
- How can Bangladesh build a reserve of critical mineral resources including rare earth minerals needed for the fourth industrial revolution and renewables transformation?
- How can Bangladesh use G2G arrangements and private cross-border investments for agriculture land lease in Africa, Russia, and elsewhere?
- What would be Bangladesh’s national shipbuilding and merchant marine strategy to enhance trade and commerce?
- How can Bangladesh build a 21st-century rail infrastructure?
- How can Bangladesh develop dry storage and wet storage infrastructure to help food security?
Activities:
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Bangladesh Institute for Geopolitical Studies will have a mixture of experts from different backgrounds involving policymakers, senior officials, think tanks, academia, the private sector, civil society, and the media. It will maintain global outreach through collaboration with leading think tanks, research institutes, universities, and policy bodies around the world. Programs will include conferences, discussion forums, and debates. Publications will include policy papers, discussion papers, peer-reviewed journal submissions, books, etc.
Executive Director: Syed Shadman Rahim
Academic Director: Nazmus Sakib
Advisor, Communication & Research: Sadia Binte Rezaq
SYED SHADMAN RAHIM
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Syed Shadman Rahim is a seasoned finance executive who has demonstrated the ability to lead diverse teams of professionals to a new performance level in fast-paced markets. He holds an Msc and BSc in Finance & Accounting from Texas A&M University. He has Strong technical and business qualifications with an impressive track record in strategic planning, sales and business development, product development and innovation. In addition Possessing years of political analysis experience, Syed evaluate political trends and their implications on policy-making. His expertise encompasses in-depth research, data synthesis, and providing strategic recommendations to stakeholders. He is dedicated dedicated to transforming complex political data into actionable insights that foster informed decision-making and effective governance.
NAZMUS SAKIB, PhD
Academic director
Nazmus Sakib is a Lecturer in the Lewis Honors College. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Texas Tech University, and an M.S.Sc. and B.S.Sc in Economics from the University of Dhaka. His primary field of research is international relations with an emphasis on the peace science tradition. His academic works have appeared in Politics and Policy, and European Politics and Society journals. His teaching and research interests include studying the causes of war and peace with reference to pop culture, international security with an emphasis on Asia, foreign policy, etc. His public scholarship-oriented opinion pieces have appeared in Newsweek, Forbes, the National Interest, etc. He enjoys hiking, cooking, blogging, and spending time with family and friends.
SADIA REZAQ
Adviser- communication and Research
Sadia Rezaq herself to working primarily on environmental issues, with a specific focus on climate change impact and good governance. Trained academically in the Economics, culminating in the aforesaid Law degree, she has enhanced her knowledge in policy review and analysis, legal research, arbitration and mediation. . Sadia acquired a Bachelor of Science in Economics from North South University , Bangladesh, as well as a Master of Science in Climate Change and Development from Independent University, Bangladesh. Previously, she has worked at Center for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University of Bangladesh as Research Associate. She provided support in research projects involving capacity building, livelihood analysis, policy gap analysis and sustainable development. She has worked at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) as a Research Assistant and gained experience that has significantly enhanced her knowledge of policy review and analysis, especially with regards to climate change adaptation and information/knowledge sharing. This affiliation has also allowed her to develop in-depth knowledge on climate finance and governance, particularly in the context of Bangladesh.