During a panel on hegemonic restructuring at the “Hands Off Asia” event in Colombo, speakers analyzed how legitimate grievances are redirected, how popular outrage is decoupled from class politics, and how the weakening or fragmentation of leftist forces creates openings for external pressure, according to the alternative media outlet *Breakthrough News*.

Bangladeshi academic Farheen Alamgir, from the Monash Business School (Australia), noted that developments regarding port dynamics in her country raise questions about sovereignty, QUAD policy, and indirect avenues of US influence.

Nur Ahmed Bakul, of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, discussed the events of July and August 2024 that led to the overthrow of his country’s government—a situation where the popular struggle was thwarted by the pernicious influence of forces linked to US imperialism, the religious right, certain NGOs, and segments of the intellectual community.

Meanwhile, Balram Prasad Banskota, of the Communist Party of Nepal, contextualized the Nepalese experience within broader regional dynamics.

He argued that imperialism no longer relies solely on direct military intervention or open repression; it now operates by fragmenting political parties, trade unions, peasant movements, youth organizations, and public opinion.

The Nepalese leader warned against the exploitation of social discontent—stemming from various causes—to divorce it from class analysis and transform it into a generational conflict or a demand for technocratic “new faces.”

In response to this, he advocated for renewing ideological training, strengthening youth and female leadership, fostering internal democracy, developing digital strategies, and adopting organizational forms capable of linking immediate grievances with political economy. jdt/nmr/lrd