The Post-Pandemic World And Global Politics

190 Pages·2022·2.217 MB·English

by  A K M Ahsan Ullah, Jannatul Ferdous

AKM Ahsan Ullah
Jannatul Ferdous
The Post-
Pandemic
World and
Global Politics
The Post-Pandemic World and Global Politics
·
AKM Ahsan Ullah Jannatul Ferdous
The Post-Pandemic World
and Global Politics
AKMAhsanUllah JannatulFerdous
FacultyofArtsandSocialSciences ComillaUniversity
UniversitiBruneiDarussalam Cumilla,Bangladesh
Gadong,BruneiDarussalam
ISBN 978-981-19-1909-1 ISBN 978-981-19-1910-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1910-7
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Preface
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on people’s lives worldwide,
touchingeveryaspectofsociety.Thismeansthattheworldhasbeenexperiencinga
globalhealthcrisis,withgovernmentsimplementingavarietyofmitigationstrate-
gies, including halting the spread of the virus, stabilizing healthcare systems, and
securingemploymentandbusinesses.Someinstitutions,suchasgovernment,educa-
tion, and business, responded in ways that enabled the Virus to spread and have
varyingeffectsdependingonarea,colour,ethnicorigin,gender,andsocioeconomic
class.
Pandemicpreparationsandresponseshavebeenimpactedbypoliticssinceitwas
apublichealthandpoliticalcrisis.Nevertheless,aconnectionbetweenglobalhealth
issuesandpoliticalissuesisstillbeingestablished.Therehavebeenmanysystem-
levelconnectionsbetweengovernmentsandhealthepidemicsandinfectiousdiseases
sincetheeighteenthcentury,suchascholera,smallpoxandTyphusandYellowFever
andtheBubonicPlague.
Thisbookrevealshowassumptionsregardingtheorigins,consequences,andreac-
tionstotheCOVID-19outbreakareaddressedviatheprismofpoliticsandthediverse
perspectives of experts in this field. This book aims to generate recommendations
formoreresearchintocriticalcomponentsofglobalpoliticsintheCOVID-19eraas
itdevelopsandadvancesfromandforscholarsstudyingglobalpolitics.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on domestic politics,
affectingthegovernanceandpoliticalsystemsofmostofthecountries,suspending
legislative activity, isolating or killing politicians, rescheduling elections, and
prohibiting protests due to fears of the Virus spreading. However, several govern-
mentsexploitedtheoutbreakasanexcusetoprohibitpoliticalactivities.Asaresult,
the pandemic has spawned broader political debates regarding the relative merits
of democracy and autocracy, as well as how governments respond to crises. The
pandemichasprecipitatedaneconomiccrisis,withjoblossesexceedingjobincreases
overtheprecedingdecadeinamatterofmonthsandwreakinghavoconseveralareas
oflife.
v
vi Preface
The majority of the world powers seemed to be concerned about the origin of
theVirus.Somepoliticiansinstigateconspiracytheoriesanddisseminatefakeinfor-
mationregardingtheVirus’sorigins.Suchspeculativeassertionsmayserveonlyto
divert attention away from researchers and policy makers working to contain the
Virus’s spread. The question is: Is it worthwhile to continue a raging debate over
theoriginsofCovid-19,orshouldweinsteadconcentrateonapplyingwhatwehave
learnedandplannedforthefuture?
Politicizingtheepidemichasresultedintheemergenceofanti-vaxxers.Vaccine
refusalisasignificantfactorinthecontinuedriseinCOVID-19infections.Thebulk
ofthesefolksbelongstotheright-wingpoliticalparties.Despitehealthprofessionals’
urgethatvaccinationisanissueofpublichealth,notpolitics,theycontinuetosay
COVID-19isascam.
Not all of our concerns about the global politics-pandemic nexus have been
answeredbythisbook,butitdoeshighlighthowpoliticiansmayexplainawaythe
realityandhencetendtoperpetuatethepandemic.
Gadong,BruneiDarussalam AKMAhsanUllah
Cumilla,Bangladesh JannatulFerdous
2022
Contents
1 ThePandemicandGlobalPolitics ............................... 1
Introduction .................................................... 1
ThePoliticsoftheOrigin-Trace ................................... 3
Argument,ObjectivesandMethods ................................ 6
PoliticalGeographyofthePandemic ............................... 9
ReshapingDemocraticSpace ..................................... 11
ANewWorldOrder ............................................. 13
HealthRegimeandGovernance ................................... 15
OrganizationoftheBook ......................................... 16
Conclusions .................................................... 17
References ..................................................... 18
2 UnderlyingConceptualApproach:AnEraoraCrisis? ............ 23
Introduction .................................................... 23
TheOriginTheoryDiscourse ..................................... 28
TheFoundationofCrisisModels .................................. 31
PandemicGovernanceandSecurityApproach ....................... 40
DigitalDivideandGrowingDisparity .............................. 41
Conclusions .................................................... 44
References ..................................................... 46
3 PoliticizationofPandemicandtheRamifications .................. 53
Introduction .................................................... 53
WhattheHistoryHastoTellUs ................................... 55
ReshapingCompliance ........................................... 60
CooperationandCompliance ................................... 61
PoliticalTemperatureandResponses ............................... 65
Africa ....................................................... 68
LatinAmerica ................................................ 69
Asia ........................................................ 71
TheMigrationDomain ........................................... 71
ThePublicHealth ............................................... 73
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viii Contents
Disparity ....................................................... 76
Gender ...................................................... 79
Education ................................................... 82
Discrimination ............................................... 84
CitizenTrust ................................................. 86
PoliticsofAnti-masksandAnti-vaccines ........................... 88
Conclusions .................................................... 94
References ..................................................... 95
4 Pandemic,PredictionsandPropagation .......................... 105
Introduction .................................................... 105
TheEconomicLandscape ........................................ 108
PoliticsandElectoralSystem ..................................... 113
FreedomofExpression ........................................ 116
PrejudiceandSigma .......................................... 118
SecurityforWomen ........................................... 120
CitizenTrust ................................................. 123
TheFutureGlobalization ......................................... 124
TheHealthCareSystem ....................................... 127
EducationandDigitalization ................................... 129
Interdependence .............................................. 131
TheGainersandtheLosers ....................................... 133
GettingReadyfortheFuture ...................................... 134
ReopeningPlans .............................................. 138
Conclusions .................................................... 140
References ..................................................... 143
5 ChoosingtoEndthePandemic:ConclusionsandDiscussion ........ 153
Introduction .................................................... 153
IseverythingGoingtoChange? ................................... 155
ImplicationsforPolitics .......................................... 158
TheRecoveryPlans ............................................. 169
IsresiliencetheOnlyOption? .................................. 169
Let’sNotThisPandemicGoToWaste ........................... 172
References ..................................................... 174
About the Authors
AKMAhsanUllahisAssociateProfessorinGeography,EnvironmentandDevel-
opment at the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD). Dr. Ullah’s research port-
folioincludesstintsattheSoutheastAsianResearchCentre(SEARC),HongKong;
UniversityofOttawa,McMasterUniversity;SaintMary’sUniversity,andDalhousie
University, Canada; the American University in Cairo (AUC); City University of
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Osnabruck University, Germany, and Asian Institute of
Technology(AIT),Thailand.Hisresearchareasincludepopulationmigration,human
rights, development, environment and health policy. Dr. Ullah has contributed 60
scientificarticlestorefereedjournalsandatleast40chaptersinanumberofbooks,
andpublished15books.
Jannatul Ferdous is Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration,
Comilla University, Bangladesh. Dr. Ferdous received her bachelor, masters and
M.Phil. in Public Administration from the University of Dhaka. Dr. Ferdous
contributed extensively to refereed journals and chapters in books. She published
seven books. Her current interest includes governance, e-governance, trust, civil
service system, gender, public policy, climate change, gender and development.
Currently,sheisservingastheChairofthetechnicalcommitteeofthe‘Combating
Gender-BasedViolence’projectofUNWomen.Sheisalsoservingasanassistant
proctorofComillaUniversity.
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Abbreviations
ASEAN TheAssociationofSoutheastAsianNations
BRICS Brazil,Russia,India,China,&SouthAfrica
CDC CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention
COVID CoronavirusDisease
EIP EuropeanInstituteofPeace
GBV GenderBasedViolence
GDP GrossDomesticProduct
GGP GovernanceGlobalPractice
GVC GlobalValueChains
HIV HumanImmunodeficiencyVirus
HRW HumanRightsWatch
ICG InternationalCrisisGroup
ILO InternationalLabourOrganization
IMF InternationalMonetaryFund
MERS MiddleEastRespiratorySyndrome
MFAPRC MinistryofForeignAffairsofthePeople’sRepublicofChina
MSME MinistryofMicro,Small&MediumEnterprises
OECD OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment
PAP People’sActionParty
SAARC SouthAsianAssociationforRegionalCooperation
SARS SevereAcuteRespiratorySyndrome
SSA Sub-SaharanAfrica
UNCTAD UnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopment
WHO WorldHealthOrganization
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