COVID-19 Reshuffling the Global Power Deck? PRI

In confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries quickly abandoned international cooperation and leadership traditions. “A global response is critical to tackling the challenges posed by the virus – from sharing data that accurately models the crisis, to collaborating on a vaccine and its equitable distribution,” suggested Nicholas Burns, former US ambassador to NATO during an interview with PRI. The United States, handling a high caseload, failed to heed international warnings. Susan Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of the Economist, notes, “the Trump administration's response to the crisis is not out of line with the administration's disdain for multilaterlateralism.” Unity is also lacking for the European Union, even as many nations express concern about China and Russia sending supplies and medical staff to hotspots. “The coronavirus crisis has served as a catalyst for democratic decline, as authorities have blurred the lines between public health responses and government overreach,” writes Indra Ekmanis. “A lack of global cooperation is also likely to be felt particularly hard in emerging economies.” The panel points out that the world is stronger when countries work together and do not repeat the mistakes of history, including the protectionism of the Great Depression, which led to economic collapse. Global economies must cooperate in adjusting to restrictions while minimizing economic damage. – YaleGlobal

COVID-19 Reshuffling the Global Power Deck? PRI

Global leadership and global governance have gone missing in action during the COVID-19 pandemic, and few nations are willing to fill the vacuum
Indra Ekmanis
Thursday, April 16, 2020

Read the article from PRI about countries failing at international cooperation.

Indra Ekmanis is an editor and reporter for The World's digital platform. She focuses on bringing perspectives from the humanities and social sciences to The World's coverage. Indra has a doctorate in international studies from the University of Washington, with an area focus in the Baltic Sea Region and post-Soviet space. Her work has concentrated on the everyday experiences of minority integration, immigrant identity and civil society, particularly through the lens of culture. She is also a Baltic Sea Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Starting over: Many nations and international institutions need some basic lessons on building cooperation and teamwork to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic (Source: Content, TeamBonding and Harvard Business Review; photo, Paul Downs Custom Conference Tables)

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