This is a pivotal moment in Bangladesh's history. The best-case scenario has actually materialised: thousands of students sacrificed their lives in protest against a corrupt government, and now the country has undergone a dramatic transformation. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammad Yonus now leads Bangladesh, and student activists have risen to the highest ranks of government as a direct result of these protests. The student martyrs and injured will be honoured and remembered, and the most fitting tribute to their selfless acts is ensuring that the changes we now see are long lasting and that effective actions are taken to ensure corruption and toxic othering are permanently purged from Bangladesh's business, educational, and political systems.
But this story is much larger than Bangladesh itself. This is precisely the example the world needs right now-a story of struggle against oppression and corruption followed by success. What is happening in Bangladesh is something from which the rest of the world can learn. In this case, to borrow from the myth of the Hydra, one of the main heads of the beast-represented by the now -exiled former Prime Minister of Bangladesh-has been severed. However, like the mythical Hydra, cutting off one head is not enough. We need to address the body of the Hydra, the source of life and power to all the Hydra's heads. We must understand and combat the underlying forces of oppression that gave rise to corruption and the numerous toxic heads of this beast.
Bangladesh's political landscape has long been steeped in a culture of oppression and toxic othering against dissenters. We have for too long witnessed the systematic exclusion and demonization of individuals or groups deemed threatening by those in power. This culture has taken root not just in one individual but across every sector. Removing a single figure, such as the now-exiled former Prime Minister, does not automatically eliminate these entrenched practices. In fact, as history has shown, many more 'heads' could emerge to perpetuate these toxic behaviours, posing ongoing threats to justice and the rule of law.
This challenge is akin to confronting a Hydra: even if one head is cut off, others can quickly take its place. To truly address the issue, we must go beyond simply removing visible leaders. We need to uproot the entire system of toxic othering that has permeated the class structure, the patron-client relationships in business and administration, and the political strategies used to accumulate power and resources. It is not enough to merely sever one head of this Hydra. We must dismantle the underlying forces of oppression and corruption that sustain it, ensuring that no new heads can grow in its place.
To fully capitalise on this hopeful and progressive moment, Bangladesh must channel the energy and idealism of its students into lasting change. This means not just temporary adjustments but fundamental, permanent changes to the very structure of society that address the systemic forces enabling corruption and oppression. The challenge is not to destroy the Hydra, as it is partly rooted in human nature, but rather to tame it-to create mechanisms for reining in the tendencies toward corruption and evil, and to harness this energy for justice and good. New and ironclad policies and laws that mitigate against endemic corruption must be instituted. A new culture of transparency must be demanded.
The rest of the world should view this moment as an extraordinary example of positive social change and more specifically the immense potential of student activism. What can we learn from the events unfolding in Bangladesh? We can learn that student voices and protests, however costly in the short term, can yield transformative results. This is a powerful demonstration of positive social change driven by the idealism and positivity of youth.
Globally, in reaction to events in Gaza and elsewhere, there have been student protests across the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. As the academic school year resumes in the Global North, we can expect even more student protests given the situations in Gaza and the West Bank remain unresolved. The lesson the world must takeaway is that students, in their most idealistic phase, embody the voices of humanism, compassion, and rationality. Those who ascend to power are often corrupted by it, but students, by definition, are outside this system and can maintain their idealism and hope. What other nations must do is channel youthful idealism and make positive changes necessary to mitigate forces of privilege and corruption in business, politics, and even organised religion.
The world is watching closely. Please seize this moment and move forward with the same vision, love, discipline, and hope that the students displayed in their protests. Channel all their positive thoughts, energy, and vision into your efforts. Continue to be inclusive, to listen to the voices of students, and to fight corruption at all levels. Bangladesh will thank you for it, and perhaps more importantly, the entire global community will thank you. You will be providing the world with a model for rescuing nations from states of disarray.
Dr Thomas Arcaro is a Professor of Sociology at Elon University, USA. Azizul Hoque is a Faculty at the Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University, Bangladesh. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors
