CAN'T HAVE A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS WHEN THERE IS ONLY ONE:

A recent poll conducted by the independent, U.S.-based International Republican Institute (IRI) spotlighted what many in Bangladesh already know: the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is immensely popular. Its approval rating in 2019 was 83 percent. Seventy-six percent of those polled said they believe the country is headed in the right direction.

The reason? Per capita income has nearly tripled. Extreme poverty has been cut in half. Educational opportunities abound, especially for women. The Asian Development Bank says Bangladesh has the fastest-growing economy in the Asia-Pacific region. Lately, Bangladesh's Gross Domestic Product has been closing in on double-digit annual growth.

Since 2009, Bangladesh's economy has grown 188 percent. Last year, Bangladesh posted record high GDP growth of 8.1 percent, up from 7.9 percent in 2018. By comparison, other South Asian countries suffered significant dips in GDP growth. HSBC Bank recently predicted that Bangladesh would be the 26th-largest economy in the world by 2030.

People from every walk of life have benefited from this success. Since 2009, 15.8 million people were lifted out of poverty. During that period, the poverty rate fell from 31.5 percent to 21.8 percent. Simultaneously, per capita income rose nearly threefold. 

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