ABSTRACT
Heraclitus of Ephesus (c.535–c.475 bce) is on the record as saying that ‘No man ever steps in the same river twice’ and that ‘Everything flows, everything changes’. The message remains true not only with respect to the materiality of the world but also with respect to ideas, institutions, perspectives and policies. The foreign policy of Bangladesh, now with more than 40 years’ experience, is no exception and is, indeed, an interesting case to consider, particularly on the issue of change. Policies do not unfold in a vacuum; neither does change take place on its own. Rather, compulsions, disciplinary training, social motives, elite perspectives, class compositions, possible choices, even ingenuity, all tend to work toward framing policies. A closer look at Bangladesh foreign policy, which has gone through several phases since the time of the country’s independence, makes this clear.
