A Brief Political Overview of the Coronavirus Pandemic

The world stopped. Everybody stopped. Social interaction now poses the potential threat of death. An item of life that almost all people hold so dearly, has been taken away from them. The world has changed. But how, why and to what extent? What has this pandemic done to us?

Do we have a choice? The restrictions placed on citizens across the world have raised the question, to what extent does free will exist, especially in the democratic and liberal world of the UK. A mix of peer judgement, the media and the government forced you into changing your life. On the 23^rd of March 2020, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the UK announced a strict restriction of basic human rights, the first time in 75 years in the UK. Not even after the 7/7 Bombings did the UK see such a limitation of people’s freedoms, demonstrating the huge milestone made in March this year. There is no question whether preventing human contact outside of your own home was the correct action to take however the future effects of this change must be monitored closely. As a result of the thoroughly enshrined and protected rights of UK citizens, we may not see the effects as severely as other countries might, however it does pave the way for a more controlled society. The newly enforced face covering requirement on public transport and shops is a clear example of the governments ability to enforce smaller changes to day to day life. Will this change government attitude towards control over the people or will our rights orientated routes protect us? The latter is the most likely outcome however an unimaginable scenario has become a possible reality, something we always thought we were protected from. People across the world had their freedom stripped from them. A drastic statement? Yes, but at its core that is what happened when states entered ‘Lockdown’ across the globe.

Any normal person would say we had no choice, some Americans disagree. Over the last 4 months we have witnessed two types of protests, the first, a mindless, selfish and patriarchally fuelled one. The second, a vital component to a desperately needed movement. Can you guess which protests white, privileged and idiotic Americans attended? 

You cannot fight a pandemic, despite what Trump may claim. 

The American President has truly been exposed for the pathetic and stupid man he is. His awful response to the pandemic, his thoughtless statements on injecting disinfectant, his racist and sexist responses to reporters and his consistent diversion of blame are only the first pieces of evidence that come to mind. Trump is a culmination of the supremacist and nationalist roots of the US. Most nations have acted collectively with each Government leading its citizens relatively effectively to stop the spread of the virus. America has simply not done this. The US currently holds just under half of the worldwide coronavirus cases, yet Trump still makes statements such as “Ask China” when being questioned over his competitiveness of the pandemic, one example of many of the President shifting blame. Trump’s leadership has been extensively exposed for its weaknesses during the last 6 months, the most it has been in the last 4 years of presidency, despite being widely known as the world’s biggest idiot long before. His childish reactions to question over his failed response to the pandemic raises question over how easily the American constitution allows people who are completely unsuited for presidency to win elections. Kanye West’s recently launched election campaign further supports this idea. 

The desperation of America to maintain its global dominance is becoming more apparent under Trump’s administration. The US has always had a strong “America First” attitude, which until recently has aided its growth. However, with a shift in global order it has adopted this attitude as its dominant force under Trump. The renegotiation of NAFTA and withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership alongside many other global actions, display the desperation of America to continue its hegemonic reign. America is still the World’s hegemony however there is no question that it is being threatened by the recent rise of China. The gap between the two rivals has only been narrowed by each state’s governance and reactions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump represents the selfish half of the US who seem to see all other countries as a threat, even those typically allies to the Nation, Trump’s threat to withdraw from NATO is an example of this. The “America First” attitude has blinded Trump and his government from reacting correctly to this pandemic. Despite China’s initial failures we have seen China effectively deal with the outbreak of the disease and America fail in an embarrassing fashion. Rather than acting efficiently and decisively, Trump has failed the US by attempting to cling on economically. Rather than prolong the stagnant economy in order to prevent future outbreaks of the disease, which could cause further harm. The President has decided to reopen the economy in an attempt to get ahead of China’s rising power. A power which has only been accelerated during the pandemic.

The US currently has more Covid-19 Deaths than the next three countries combined, Trump has failed to unite the nation and impose strict enough procedures to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. As seen in Trump’s interview with Jonathon Swan, the President is ignorant to his failures. 

Written by Isaac Lewis