The SARS-CoV2 Virus and Covid19 Illness
The SARS-CoV2 virus and the associated Covid19 illness continues to spread around the world, claiming more lives by the day. With the likelihood of the virus becoming eradicated in the near future significantly bleakening, some of the most powerful and influential nations are appearing more and more inept in their handling of the pandemic. While the most obvious impact that Covid19 is having on the world is, of course, the risks to health and public safety, the extrapolation of these unfortunate effects are impacting the way affected nations interact with each other. Needless to say, the upcoming election season will be particularly intriguing for those who have interest in the welfare of the international community.
The American Response
The United States is a nation that has seen it’s fair share of criticism towards it’s handling of this deadly disease. While it may be reliably postulated that the US’s Covid19 policy would be criticised regardless of effectiveness or efficiency, the methods that the Trump administration has used in order to secure its nation’s safety have been heavy-handed, to put it generously. Shipments of medical supplies, particularly face masks and other items of PPE (personal protective equipment), have been torn from the grasp of other affected nations by American buyers. The United States seems to be brandishing its purchasing power like a cutlass, stepping in to seize shipments of PPE from their original buyers.
Recently, the French government bought a shipment of face masks from China to be sent to South-Eastern France, one of the worst affected areas in Europe. French representatives reported that American buyers arrived on the runway of the airport in Shanghai, where the shipment was minutes from being flown to its destination. These buyers offered more than double what the French had agreed to pay for the shipment, and the plane was diverted to the United States. One of the French officials confirmed that the new buyers were indeed acting on behalf of the American government. However, the Trump administration has since denied these claims.
The N95 Piracy Incident
In a similar incident, two-hundred-thousand N95 masks bound for Germany, for use by German police, were intercepted by the US as the cargo was transferred between planes at an airport in Thailand. This act was labeled by the interior minister of Berlin as “modern piracy”. President Trump has also recently used the Defense Production Act of 1950 to pressure American industrial manufacturer 3M to cease exports of PPE to America’s neighbours, namely Canada and Central and South America. The consensus is that the US’s current behaviour is creating an environment that is unhealthy for bilateral trade, as those whose PPE shipments have been hijacked are American allies. Trump’s underlying “America First” line has dominated his approach to international politics during his administration, and the consequences of that line are beginning to hurt those who hoped to count him as a supporter of their respective efforts against Covid.
The International Effect
Moreover, Trump’s Covid19 policy moving forward does not seem to be encouraging the cooperative international environment that his allies are pushing for. A senior business advisor to the Trump administration, Peter Navarro, has been given special powers by the president to secure as much of the global supply of PPE for the United States as possible, by coordinating policy relating to the aforementioned Defense Production Act.
The methods that Mr Navarro has employed in pursuit of this end include blocking exports of PPE from American companies to other nations, procuring orders of medical equipment from overseas, and claiming shipments of goods to be shipped to the US that were originally intended for elsewhere. Navarro is an economist of the same protectionist agenda as Trump, and his views on international trade are not widely accepted by his fellow economists. As such, confidence in his ability to maintain good relations with America’s allies while he carries out his duties is low.
End Game
While the goals of Trump’s actions in securing medical supplies for his citizens is admirable, the long-term international effects of these policies are cause for concern. If the US receives more than its share of the global supply of PPE, the countries that will be worst affected will be developing nations, nations that have yet to fully experience the misery that Covid can bring. If the virus is allowed to spread freely within these nations, the global spread of the disease will be exacerbated. The effort behind the eradication of Covid19 worldwide will be significantly hindered as a result.
This spells trouble for all nations, including the United States, which has yet to fully convince all of its citizens that Covid is a serious issue, let alone take steps towards eradication. The belligerency of the Trump administration’s handling of this issue has reduced international confidence that the global community will be secure against Covid. In its current position of power, much of the world looks to America for guidance during international crises. However, if America itself appears indifferent to the suffering of its allies, the “free world” that America leads will look elsewhere for its support.
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