Bangladesh, Dec. 9 -- The spectacle of Muhammad Yunus rolling out the red carpet for Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva (the scandal-stained daughters of Azerbaijans authoritarian president) would have been baffling even in calmer times. But in a moment when Bangladesh is already navigating a political transition, diplomatic scrutiny, and a fragile economic environment, the entire affair feels like a self-inflicted wound. And like most wounds that nations suffer, this one was enabled not by foreign adversaries but by the judgment, or misjudgment, of domestic actors who should have known better.

For decades, Bangladesh fought hard to project itself as a country that overcame poverty, instability, and corruption to become a responsible member of the g...