COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The outbreak of the Global pandemic was avowed by the World Health Organization (WHO)as a public health emergency of global concern on 30th January. The disease hailed from the region of Wuhan, China in December 2019. To date, the disease has distressed 187 countries.
Knowing the fact that the disease is contagious and easily transmissible, the circumstances were bound to deteriorate. Therefore, being aware of the hazards that the virus could pose, countries began to take preventive measures. To control the increasing tension an International Lockdown has been imposed. As a preventive measure people are bound to adhere themself to the decision of observing quarantine. Consequently, the postponement or cancellation of events occurred, be it religious, cultural, or political. The outbreak of the current pandemic, in other words, has caused the life to have an impediment.
PROBLEMS ENSUING THE DISEASE
An earth-shattering event like Novel COVID-19 has disrupted life in multitudinous ways; businesses are disrupted, lives are impaired and also the competency of governments has been exposed. The massive global recession has prevailed due to the pandemic since the period of ‘GREAT DEPRESSION’, severe socioeconomic disruptions have been caused, panic buying triggered by the supply shortages, and 73.5% of the student population is being affected as the educational institutions are closed. With the increasing prevalence of the disease, the situation is getting worst.
Some fundamental and unsettling questions that the pandemic poses: is the pandemic one of the pivotal moments when the life will change permanently are the damages going to be irreversible, and most importantly will the balance of the political and economic powers shift? Is this the final battleground/an apocalypse or a juncture for humanity/ a new beginning?
Normal life has become disheveled already but what influence it has on the states, governments, leaders, and their decisions?
THE SHIFTING OF POWERS
The way both the West and East are tackling the situation says a lot about the future of states and their governments. A country’s political and economic prowess and whether it is a good global citizen or not, these factors are symbolic of how lauded a country is and whether is it an example worth imitating or not.
The modern economies of the west simply failed to cope with the chaotic situation caused by the unavoidable casualty/outbreak of the pandemic, they have not been able to curb the rapid transmission of disease and the increasing death toll in their states. These industrialized economies include UNITED STATES, UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE, ITALY, and GERMANY. On the other hand, East wrestled in a much better way and is still struggling. For example, CHINA, JAPAN, INDIA, MALAYSIA, KOREA, etc. Also, the response time of the Asian countries was in contrast less than that of the most developed countries.
China, for example, was the country from where the disease mainly emerged, and there came a time when the circumstances aggravated to a much higher extent in China. The authorities were bound to impose a complete lockdown in the country for bringing the situation under control and to prevent the spread of the disease, no one was allowed to leave the country; passengers were detained and the flights canceled. But the phenomenal and noteworthy efforts of the country made it capable of coping with the situation and to turn the misfortune into a success story. Till the date, China has attained almost full control. Also, the lockdown has been lifted. After gaining some stability the country is now aiding the other states by sending them allowances which include; medical aid i.e. medical equipment and doctors and even financial help by providing them with loans. By doing this China added to its credentials of becoming a global leader.
Other countries that have endeavored for the cause are also being accoladed. These indications are enough to make interpretations on the matter of how the powerhouses are changing!
The United States is the superpower now seems to be losing the title, as it fails to lead in the combating epidemic and its systemic failings are being exposed. COVID-19 displayed how may a state fail when its government doesn’t address a problem properly. The US is lacking the tactics and potential to cope with the current epidemic. It is failing so far to stop the situation from becoming unfavorable to an extent where it becomes almost impossible to deal with it.
No one today is looking to Washington for the solution of the catastrophe or the band-aid for the crises!
The pandemic has become a hotbed for the shifting of the powers from West to East.
There seems a great difference in the post-COVID-19 world and the pre-COVID-19 world. In the post-COVID-19 world, China seems to be taking over as the superpower if the US continues to not rise, meet, and address the situation in the exact way it needs to be met and addressed. The world looks like being in the process of reshaping as the view of some people regarding the epidemic is that it may accelerate the shift of power. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, this unforeseen event is an era-defining challenge for political, economic, and all other sectors.
Drawing any conclusion right now would be ahead of time, knowing the fact that how uncertain the matter is. There is a possibility of the post-COVID-19 world being “less-free” because what if the preventive measures are never withdrawn and relaxations are never offered? There might be a shift from US-dominant-globalization to a China-dominant-globalization. East may become of more paramount importance than the West. The power strategy of America may become inadequate and it may need a new power strategy. America too may start imitating China’s strategies like Iran and other countries are doing.
If nothing else, the spread of the pandemic has turned many states inwards; rather than focusing on what’s going on, on the borders now, the states are more concerned about what is happening and what will be the fate of their territory.
Even if America now rises and copes with the situation, it would always be remembered for how America’s leadership failed the test and it may never be seen as an international leader because of the inept incompetence. On contrary, China will always be remembered for how dexterously it curbed with one of the most challenging events of human history.