The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a majority victory in the country's first election since the 2024 Gen Z-driven uprising, while in other international developments, the US and Taiwan finalized a trade deal and a senior Washington official urged European allies to take a greater role in their own defense. The BNP's win, announced on February 13, 2026, gives them a two-thirds majority, enough to form the next government. Simultaneously, the US and Taiwan finalized a trade deal to reduce tariffs on Taiwanese exports, and a top American official emphasized the need for European nations to strengthen their own defenses.
The BNP's victory marks a significant shift in Bangladesh's political landscape. Tarique Rahman, the BNP's prime ministerial candidate, returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile in London. The election results bring the potential for stability following the ousting of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to Sky News.
In other international news, the US and Taiwan reached a trade agreement. The deal, finalized on Thursday, lowered the general tariff on Taiwanese goods from 20 percent to 15 percent, matching the level of Asian trade partners like South Korea and Japan. In exchange, Taiwan agreed to purchase approximately $85 billion of US energy, aircraft, and equipment, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, a senior US official, Elbridge Colby, the US Under Secretary of War, addressed NATO defense ministers, urging European nations to take a more active role in their own defense. Colby stated that the alliance must be prepared for potential enemies to strike simultaneously in different parts of the globe, but clarified that the US was not abandoning its allies. "The time has come that the Europeans take over more and more step by step," the German defence minister said, according to Sky News.
The meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels was notable for the absence of Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War. One ally commented that Hegseth was "missing a good party" by skipping the summit, though other allies played down the no-show.
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