- Question
How will the coronavirus affect globalization?
World leaders now describe Covid-19 as the 'silent enemy'. Several have called the pandemic a 'war'. For the first time in history, every nation on Earth is battling a common foe. What this will mean for globalisation remains unknown. Global connectivity is, on the face of things, being eroded, as free movement stops and people 'stay and shelter'. Yet, the world is also increasingly united, as triumph depends on cooperation.
Coronavirus will erode international institutions
This position holds that coronavirus will erode international institutions. It argues that because the pandemic response has been driven by national governments, bodies like the UN and EU will be weakened — sidelined by competing national interests and seen as less essential.
Coronavirus will force us to re-imagine the international order
This position holds that Covid-19 will force a re-imagining of the international order. Its arguments run in several directions — that the pandemic strengthens the nation-state, that it could build more robust international institutions, and that it may shift global power eastward.
Coronavirus will shift the global economy
This position holds that coronavirus will significantly shift the global economy. It argues that the pandemic has strong-armed economies worldwide and will leave a lasting mark — for better or worse — with the rollout of vaccines itself reshaping global economic fortunes.