COVID-19 PANDEMIC COVERAGE

The major dividing line in effective crisis response will not place autocracies on one side and democracies on the other. The crucial determinant in performance will not be the type of regime, but the state’s capacity and, above all, trust in government. (Francis Fukuyama, 3/30/20)

Lost in the background of the coronavirus catastrophe is the collapse of American diplomacy. The United States should be the convening authority and coordinator of a response to a global threat now taking the lives of its own citizens. (Brett McGurk, 3/29/20)

COVID-19 presents us with both our worst public health crisis in a century and the greatest challenge to our democracy since World War II. Here is a national strategy to address both challenges. (Larry Diamond, 3/27/20)

Megha Shankar, an early-career physician and health services research fellow with Stanford Health Policy and the VA, reflects on her role during the pandemic. (Megha Shankar, 3/27/20)

Although postponement of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference is inevitable, the nuclear policy community needs to keep a sharp eye out during the pause, to ensure that nuclear mischief does not ensue, whether from North Korea or from other countries. (Rose Gottemoeller, 3/26/20)

The world’s two superpowers, the United States and China, will remain competitors in many realms for decades to come. In parallel to confrontation, however, Chinese and American leaders also must realize that they share some interests that require cooperation. Addressing a global pandemic is one of them. (Michael McFaul, 3/26/20)

Voters should not have to choose between casting a ballot and risking their health. They should not have to endure confusion over the location of polling places or the availability of vote-by-mail. Yet voters might face exactly those problems in November if we do not act now to protect the election from Covid-19. (Nathaniel Persily, 3/26/20)

Fear of Covid-19 is based on its high estimated case fatality rate — 2% to 4% of people with confirmed Covid-19 have died, according to the World Health Organization. So if 100 million Americans ultimately get the disease, two million to four million could die. We believe that estimate is deeply flawed. (Eran Bendavid and Jay Bhattacharya, 3/24/20)

Social media platforms are under pressure to ensure that sensationalism and misinformation on their platforms don’t exacerbate an epidemic—as they should be. They are the gatekeepers of good information during this crisis. The problem is that much like the disease, misinformation spreads wherever people congregate. (Renee DiResta, 3/20/20)

The perception of China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been a significant challenge for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the past two months. The CCP has been attempting to control the narrative and deflect blame since the start of the outbreak, both domestically and abroad. It has done this by drawing on its substantial state- and CCP-owned media apparatus. (Vanessa Molter, 3/19/20)

COVID-19 is a massive global economic and health challenge, having caused thousands of global deaths and untold economic and social disruption. Strangely, this disruption could also have unexpected health benefits — and these benefits could be quite large in certain parts of the world. (Marshall Burke, 3/8/20)