A call for global unity against COVID-19

At a time when coronavirus has caused a global pandemic, the old geopolitical battles are still happening all over the world. China and the United States are still fighting for economic and military supremacy.

It was a breath of fresh air when five prominent global leaders recently issued a manifesto asking for a “global alliance to fight the pandemic.” The five were Frank-Walter Steinmeier, president of Germany; King Abdullah of Jordan; Presidents Halimah Yacob of Singapore; Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia; and Lenin Moreno of Ecuador. They said:

“Nations are turning inward as they try to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, closing borders and imposing drastic executive measures in a retreat that risks leaving every country fending for itself. However, we can contain and counter COVID-19 more effectively by knocking down the barriers that hinder knowledge exchange and co-operation.”

They pointed out that lockdowns and closing borders will not solve the problem. One example that I can think of is Hong kong. After severe lockdowns, the number of cases was dramatically reduced and Hong Kong decided to reopen its borders to save its economy. Soon after there was a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

It is not possible for some countries alone to bring down the virus to manageable levels. There must be a global solution. The five leaders said:

“There is a central solution to be learnt from human experience: nearly all plagues that took their toll on humankind – tuberculosis, smallpox, Ebola, AIDS – have been defeated by modern medicine providing therapies and vaccines. Shared knowledge and accelerated research driven by a global network of scientists will provide the ultimate answer to our current predicament.”

There is a need for a global alliance of governments, international organizations, pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, scientific organizations and foundations to commit to four key objectives. First is to accelerate research and development of treatment and vaccines through open and transparent science. Second, assure rapid production, procurement, and fair and equitable production, procurement and distribution of testing kits and medical equipment for all. Third, scale up production and assure fair and equitable distribution of future therapies and vaccines to all nations including refugees. Fourth, articulate the immense benefits of a coordinated, co-operative global response to the crisis.

The five leaders ended with a plea: “This pandemic will not spare any country, no matter how advanced its economy, capabilities or technology. Before this virus, we are all equal and must work together to beat it. We are confident that if we pool our knowledge and our efforts we can and will be saved by human ingenuity. Let’s accomplish this in a spirit of solidarity, caring for everyone, be they poor or rich, old or young, woman or man. It will save lives. It will bring out the best in all of us. And tomorrow’s world will be a better place.”

This call to set aside geopolitical turf battles and cooperate globally is a worthwhile and necessary cause. The problem is that global cooperation needs global leadership. In the past this leadership was provided by a superpower like the United States. Even a nuclear war was averted when two powers, the USA and the USSR, cooperated even though they are geopolitical enemies. Today, the two superpowers – USA and China – may be able to cooperate; but, they are unable to provide global leadership. Why? A geopolitical analyst, Martin Wolf, once wrote: “Being a superpower is not just about brute strength. It is also about being seen as a competent and decent leader.”

Most of the world does not see the leadership in the two countries as sincere and decent. Trump is not respected by the leaders of the traditional allies of the USA. He has also become a divisive figure in his own country and throughout the world. Under Trump’s leadership, the US is not a unifying figure.

 China is still distrusted for its motives even when it gives foreign aid. Countries have complained that its loan rates are usurious by international standards. Its statistics, whether economic or referring to the pandemic, are not seen as true. China’s leadership lacks the transparency that is needed to be trusted in the world.

A united Europe would have been the ideal superpower that could have led the world. Unfortunately, this pandemic crisis has exposed the rifts, economic and political, among the different EU countries. The different member states have not agreed on a united strategy to fight coronavirus. There has also been resistance to the pooling of resources to address the crisis.

The need for global cooperation is heightened by the fact that unlike many predictions, economies will not simply recover once the pandemic ends. Corporate profits have already been affected and will continue to be affected causing businesses around the world to continue to cut back further on already anemic investments. Their ability to repay existing record amounts of debt will be affected.

One of the most awaited forecasts is whether the virus will continue beyond the next two months. Most predictions are assuming that the epidemiological pattern observed in China, in which it accelerates and peaks over a two-month period before receding, will become a global trend. There is also a lot of apprehension on whether there will be future outbreaks leading to a pandemic in South Asia, Latin America and Africa where health care systems are relatively underdeveloped.

If this pandemic lasts beyond the summer months of June, July and August, the world must be united in a common war or else face the prospect of a Great Depression.

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