The history of coronaviruses is littered with environmental degradation, superstition, rampant illegal trading in wildlife, and complacency. Earlier this century, a global panic was triggered by one such virus, SARS, and there were what look …
The Strategist on: "Coronavirus"
In a break from the usual content of the daily White House press briefings on Covid-19, on 1 April the US defence secretary, Mark Esper, announced an increase in military assets assigned to US Southern …
Long before people and goods were traversing the globe non-stop, pandemics were already an inescapable feature of human civilisation. And the tragedy they bring has tended to have a silver lining: perceived as mysterious, meta-historical …
The global economy may be in hibernation, but geopolitics is thriving and sprinting towards a potential crisis at the end of this year or early in 2021. The immediate and understandable focus is on fighting …
As the number of coronavirus victims mounts, making Iran one of the pandemic’s epicentres, the ruling ayatollahs have spotted an opportunity. They are driving an international campaign to have international sanctions lifted. Their main target …
Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on accountabilities and practices in the international cruise ship industry. Until now, the developed world has been in love with the industry, which has been growing at 15% per year, …
Beijing is declaring success in its control of Covid-19. It’s a funny kind of success, though, because on closer examination it looks more like what Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and New Zealand are doing now. …
Plagues bring out the best and worst in pharaohs, as they do in party secretaries, presidents, and directors of the World Health Organization. There’s nothing like a high-pressure crisis to test a leader’s mettle. In …
As nations around the world struggle to deal with Covid-19, some of the most effective responses may be found in the least expected corners. Singapore’s foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, says that an effective response to …
French counterterrorism police are investigating a stabbing attack in southeast France in which two people were killed and five injured. The attack was a reminder that while the media focus is mainly on Covid-19, terrorism …
As the Covid-19 crisis plays out across the world, a disturbing new form of denialism is emerging which seeks to sow doubt not just about the seriousness of the pandemic or the response to it, …
The US is in its worst crisis since World War II. With more than 582,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, it is the current global epicentre of the pandemic. More than 23,000 Americans have died from …