The world that emerges from the coronavirus pandemic may be a warring collection of countries that are more closed off and nationalistic than before. But without rapid and effective global cooperation, the world may not …
The Strategist on: "Coronavirus"
‘God and the people are the source of all power … I have taken it, and damn it, I will keep it forever’, declared Haiti’s François ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier in 1963. And so he did, …
Lots of commentary—in fact, most—right now about America in the world is simplistic, binary and trapped in the moment. Not that the US isn’t in crisis right now. It is. Like the rest of us, …
There’s a war of narratives being fought between China and much of the rest of the world about how the Covid-19 pandemic began and who’s responsible. Beijing has embarked on a misinformation campaign to try …
As Covid-19 expands across the southern hemisphere, governments there have a lot to learn from Vietnam’s approach. Clear communication and government–citizen cooperation that leveraged technology are the main reasons why the country has had relatively …
In the viral outbreak of prognosticating about what the future beyond coronavirus should look like, there’s virtual unanimity about the need for countries to have supplies of essential items at the ready for crises. To …
Horror videos posted on social media last week of residents of the Ecuadorian coastal metropolis of Guayaquil abandoning corpses in the streets while vultures circled overhead underline the extreme vulnerability of emerging nations to the …
As the world contends with Covid-19, Indonesia and Australia have an opportunity to establish deeper ties and cooperation on matters of mutual concern. The secondary states of Asia—Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea—have become exemplars for …
US President Donald Trump has labelled himself a wartime president, and many other leaders around the world are using similar language. It’s a description that raises an obvious question: what do the history and nature …
In Australia’s Covid-19 response, the importance of expertise in medicine, biology and epidemiology has been on display. The pandemic appears to be heralding a pivot back to evidence-based ‘fact’, away from opinion and ‘truthiness’. Universities …
Australians returning from overseas are being met with the uncommon sight of Australian Defence Force personnel at our airports. Even though Prime Minister Morrison has said that the ADF is there in support of the …
Mark Beeson’s recent piece on the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘The revenge of Gaia?’, was a bewildering read. Beeson suggested that Covid-19 is, like climate change, ‘a product of changes in the natural environment’ and ‘partly a consequence …