Nepal, Nov. 1 -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the world's longest reigning female political leader, fled Bangladesh on August 5 2024, for the safety of India. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of protesters descended on Bangladesh's capital city, Dhaka. The crowds ransacked her official residence, occupied the nation's parliament and burnt down her family home.

Hasina, who had ruled the country for more than 20 years in total, had been widely accused of turning autocratic and clamping down severely on any opposition to her rule.

For many, the Bangladesh revolution offers hope in the context of growing global authoritarianism. It illustrates the power of the youth to confront entrenched leaders, and the fragility of authoritarianism. It ...