Netting the Big Fish

If Bangladesh's interim leaders are serious about cleaning up government before holding new elections, voters may be in for a long wait: the country is consistently ranked one of the most corrupt in the world by Berlin-based NGO Transparency International, and Bangladeshis have long complained that many public officials are on the take. So, the arrests of at least 20 senior politicians in recent days were greeted with a good deal of glee; one government adviser hailed the move as "jihad against crime and corruption."

Since taking power in mid-January amid allegations of electoral fraud in the run-up...