In The News

Inept Multilateral System: Council on Foreign Relations

Stewart M. Patrick April 1, 2020
With COVID-19 sweeping the globe, “international cooperation has been missing in action and global solidarity has been AWOL,” reports the Financial Times. Instead of confronting the shared threat, countries take unilateral steps to protect themselves, exchanging blame for the pandemic. The Group of Seven, Group of Twenty and the United Nations have taken limited actions. The G7 finance ministers...

The Greatest Test: UN News

April 1, 2020
The United Nations urges the world to unite as COVID-19 spreads throughout communities, forcing people to isolate, ruining economic activity and livelihoods. Long-term effects could be dire, and Secretary-General António Guterres calls for shared responsibility. “This human crisis demands coordinated, decisive, inclusive and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies – and...

India’s Tragic Pandemic Lockdown: BBC

Soutik Biswas March 31, 2020
India has more than 1.3 billion people, and about 20 percent live less than $2 per day. So after the government imposed a lockdown to top the spread of COVID-19, many Indians lacked shelter, food, savings or other protections. A government order turned most into refugees overnight, creating a humanitarian crisis and worsening the coronavirus threat. “Work and wages dried up after India declared a...

Japan Expands Entry Ban: Japan Times

March 31, 2020
Many nations try travel bans to contain COVID-19, and travelers in hotspots could find themselves stranded at any point. Japan is expanding a travel ban to foreign nations who have recently traveled to the United States, China, South Korea and Europe. All Japanese and foreign nationals who have traveled outside the banned areas are expected to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor symptoms....

Time to Make a Face Mask: New York Times

Farhad Manjoo March 31, 2020
Advice on face masks has evolved throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. East Asians have long worn such masks, protecting against flu viruses since 1918 and then SARS in 2003. But US health experts suggested the masks were unnecessary. “The world is running out of face masks for health care workers, which is one reason American officials, including the surgeon general, have warned members of the...

Post-Pandemic World: Al Jazeera

Fahd Humayun March 30, 2020
Responses to crisis that resist fear, focusing on analysis and repair, will minimize damage. The liberal international order that emerged after World War II was “ gradually eroded by the combined forces of globalisation, poverty and the unresponsiveness of mainstream political parties to local discontent,” explains Fahd Humayun for Al Jazeera. Recent erosion of that order led to inequality,...

EU and COVID-19 Economic Crisis: Financial Times

Ben Hall, Martin Arnold and Sam Fleming March 30, 2020
The European Central Bank plans to expand asset purchases by €750 billion over the next nine months, aimed at preventing a profound depression. Such a plan boosted the bond market in Europe, leading to decreased finance costs of EU member governments. Even though the ECB’s monetary interventions can partly alleviate the downward pressure on the economy, deeply divided national leaders focus on...