Bangladesh, Feb. 14 -- Among the architects of nations, history draws a sharp line between two species of leader. On one side stand those fortunate inheritors who receive functioning governments like family heirlooms—polished, tested, ready for use. On the other hand, you find the rarer breed: men and women compelled to construct the very foundation of statehood while standing knee-deep in wreckage. Bangladeshs trajectory hinged on which type would emerge from its traumatic birth. What it got was Ziaur Rahman—a figure who grasped both the implements of physical reconstruction and the immense burden of national survival, understanding intuitively that the two were inseparable.

In the tumultuous wake of August 5th last year, as...