Opinion | Coronavirus crisis exposes the myth of global security built on nation-state competition
- The world cannot survive a threat like a virus that knows no national or ideological boundaries, unless governments, multinational corporations and research institutes reset the rules of engagement to encourage information sharing and exchange
Is globalisation dead? One might have been tempted to think so a month ago, watching the transatlantic bickering at the Munich Security Conference. I was reminded of the tragic events that took place in that city in the summer of 1972.
To a certain degree, the Munich massacre shaped and overshadowed the world’s understanding of “security” in the following half a century. To this day, we are still largely trapped in the conflict between economic globalisation and the so-called cold-war thinking.
But, today, the one crisis that threatens to destroy the world order as we know it didn’t arise from geopolitical or ideological conflicts. The Covid-19 pandemic has trounced existing international coordination mechanisms on disease control and prevention, exposing the fragile security system in which we live.
If anything, it is a morbid testimony to the interconnectedness of peoples and economies as we watch the virus’ devastating spread on the map, wrecking lives and markets alike in its path.
The fact that ageing politicians are still citing George F. Kennan’s “containment policy” today only shows we have not learned from his foresight. Another hot phrase of the day, the “Thucydides trap”, reveals the status quo of geopolitics as national competitiveness shapes our understanding of the world.
But the coronavirus knows no national or ideological boundaries, nor has any particular political system fared demonstrably better in stopping its murderous pace.