That vulnerability is now back in the conversation, not because of Chinese action, but because of a dramatic shift in Bangladesh’s foreign policy. In just a few months, India-Bangladesh ties have unraveled into mutual suspicion, strategic maneuvering, and a dangerous blame game. Since Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last August, New Delhi has lost its privileged access in Dhaka, where the new leadership is openly courting Beijing and Islamabad.

In June 2017 , Indian and Chinese troops stared each other down on the windswept Doklam plateau in Bhutan, beginning a standoff that lasted for 73 days. The trigger was a Chinese road construction project that came perilously close to India’s vulnerable Siliguri Corridor—sandwiched between Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal—and brought home a chilling reality: The fate of India’s northeast could hinge on this sliver of land and the goodwill of its neighbors.

In June 2017, Indian and Chinese troops stared each other down on the windswept Doklam plateau in Bhutan, beginning a standoff that lasted for 73 days. The trigger was a Chinese road construction project that came perilously close to India’s vulnerable Siliguri Corridor—sandwiched between Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal—and brought home a chilling reality: The fate of India’s northeast could hinge on this sliver of land and the goodwill of its neighbors.

That vulnerability is now back in the conversation, not because of Chinese action, but because of a dramatic shift in Bangladesh’s foreign policy. In just a few months, India-Bangladesh ties have unraveled into mutual suspicion, strategic maneuvering, and a dangerous blame game. Since Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last August, New Delhi has lost its privileged access in Dhaka, where the new leadership is openly courting Beijing and Islamabad.

As India struggles to shape the global narrative after its recent clash with Pakistan, having its eastern neighbor aligned with its two biggest adversaries—to the west and the north—is not welcome news.

India’s troubles with Bangladesh are not the result of a hostile axis between China and Pakistan, but because of its own missteps: most notably, New Delhi’s unwavering support for Hasina’s authoritarian regime and the rise of Hindu nationalism under Indian