Bangladesh is pinning its hopes on one of the nation’s most acclaimed intellectuals to bring stability to a country scarred by coups and political upheaval.
Muhammad Yunus, whose work alleviating poverty won him a Nobel Peace Prize, was named the head of a new interim government on Tuesday following the sudden ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister this week. Though he’s mostly stayed away from politics, Yunus is one of Bangladesh’s most famous faces and brings considerable clout with Western elites.
Restoring normalcy to Bangladesh won’t be a small feat for Yunus. Over the past few weeks, clashes between protesters and security personnel cost the lives of more than 300 people, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the South Asian nation’s history. And while Hasina lifted millions out of poverty through garment exports, economic growth has lately stalled in Bangladesh, prompting the International Monetary Fund to step in with bailout funds.