The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting socio-economic crises highlight the need for global circuit breakers to identify, isolate and quarantine systemic risks early. They give a human face to the reality that the institutions of international governance have lagged behind the rapid emergence of global threats.
On April 19, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne called for an independent inquiry into the pandemic’s origins and China’s handling of it. In Japan, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said that the WHO (World Health Organization) could be renamed the CHO for Chinese Health Organization.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s freeze on U.S. funding to WHO provoked outrage. He accused the WHO of being China-centric in promoting disinformation and insisted it be held accountable. His vast army of critics were stunned at the timing. Stopping WHO payments in the middle of a pandemic cannot but increase the global death toll. It illustrates two of his signature traits: a mistrust of multilateralism, and blame-shifting for his own incompetence in recognizing problems early and dealing with them effectively.