Chairman Mao once said that “political power comes from the end of the barrel of a gun.” And in Bangladesh, the supposedly neutral caretaker government has deployed the army onto the streets of this nation to quell the opposition’s unrest. The gloves are off. Newspapers now bring daily images of mass arrests, car burnings, and baton-wielding policemen in riot gear. If I had to explain the closest thing I’ve ever seen to “martial law,” this is it.

And this just in: a few minutes ago, the head of the caretaker government voluntarily stepped down, and no doubt this news will likely be hitting your international headlines very soon. The election is likely in jeopardy and a curfew has been declared for tonight from 11pm to 5am. It’s now coming up to 11pm here as I write this.

As for me, I just came home from a restaurant an hour ago and we got the curfew news shortly after we had ordered dinner. On the way back, traffic on the streets of Dhaka was as normal as ever—which is actually in fact insanely crowded as ever. The intrigue is nonetheless palpable; and the toughest part is to accept that you never know what will happen next, as the last several weeks have been filled with innumerable twists and turns in the situation here.

Love it or hate it, this is what a developing nation looks like as it fights to figure out its own political future, and even more sadly it seems that most of this fight hinges on the egos of two political leaders who can barely stand the sight of one another. It’s saddening to see an already troubled natoin choke itself economically for the sake of that incorrigible of human traits—pride—but in this winner-take-all contest, this fight will continue until somebody backs down or is beaten down beyond recognition. Until a solution is broached between the warring parties, until the time the political leaders, driven by something greater than self-gain, can finally sit down at the same table and work together towards solutions instead of driving apart towards mutually assured destruction, absolutely nothing can be accomplished here.

This political chaos drives me insane—I question my commitment to help a place whose needs are beyond imaginable, but by the same token completely undeniable—I must continue my work. The need is so great that it must be matched with equal commitment. I won’t be leaving yet…