The geopolitical contours of a post-COVID-19 world

2 May 2020

Author: Deepanshu Mohan, OP Jindal Global University

While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy is more dramatic than any other shock in recent history, the consequences of the virus for the geopolitical order could be even more consequential. A radical shift in the global political economy may be imminent in the post-COVID-19 world.

This shift is conditional on two factors. The first factor is the relative degree of economic recovery seen in nations affected by the pandemic. The second factor is the very different domestic political scenarios that now exist in many affected nations.

Before the pandemic, populism — and its coercive authoritarian tendencies which see the nation-state strengthen in a backlash against the multilateral-globalist order — was on the rise. The outbreak of the pandemic has provided an opportunity for most states to either increase or retract multilateral cooperation.

As the crisis unfolds, critical multilateral arrangements like the G20 are not presenting a unified front. The United States and China have also faced criticism for displaying weak global leadership.

The United States under President Donald Trump is showcasing an inability to lead efforts to fight the virus, let alone offer necessary aid to other countries. Instead, the United States has threatened to undertake protectionist measures to restrict exports of essential medical equipment to neighbours like Canada. Trump is also halting US contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO).

China, on the other hand, has utilised the opportunity to push its state-propaganda internationally, while emerging as a ‘costly’ global supplier of medical equipment. Despite providing for the increased short-term demand for medical supplies, China has continued to receive severe criticism for its information censorship.

In a post-COVID-19 world, many developed nations may consider disentangling direct trade relations with China and decoupling supply chains to restrict the flow of goods and services into and from China.

UN rights chief urges quick action by governments to prevent devastating impact of COVID-19 in places of detention

© UNICEF/Roger LeMoyne

Boys reach through bars at a jail for juveniles in the Delmas neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 2005

    

25 March 2020

Human Rights

COVID-19 has begun to strike in prisons, jails and immigration detention centres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Wednesday, as she urged Governments “not to forget hose behind bars” and to protect those working in closed facilities in their overall efforts to contain the pandemic

“In many countries, detention facilities are overcrowded, in some cases dangerously so,” Ms. Bachelet said, making physical distancing and self-isolation practically impossible. People are often held in unhygienic conditions.

Health services are inadequate – or non-existent – and the virus “risks rampaging” through these vulnerable populations.

As Governments make tough decisions, she urged them not to forget those behind bars, or confined in such places as mental health facilities, nursing homes and orphanages.

UN Human Rights

✔@UNHumanRights

URGENT: UN Human Rights Chief @mbachelet urges Governments to act now to prevent #COVID19 devastating the health of people in detention and other closed facilities, as part of global efforts to contain the pandemic.

Learn more http://ow.ly/7WO650yVhiv #StandUp4HumanRights

689

7:57 PM - Mar 25, 2020

Twitter Ads info and privacy

708 people are talking about this

“The consequences of neglecting them are potentially catastrophic,” the High Commissioner said.

Governments must work quickly to reduce the number of people in detention, she said, noting that several countries have already taken positive actions.

She encouraged authorities to examine ways to release those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 – older detainees and those who are sick, among them – as well as low-risk offenders. They should also continue to provide for the specific health-care requirements of women prisoners, inmates with disabilities and juvenile detainees.

“Now, more than ever, Governments should release every person detained without sufficient legal basis,” she said, including political prisoners and others detained simply for expressing critical or dissenting views. Upon release, people should be medically screened, with measures taken to ensure they receive care and follow-up, if needed.

Human rights, detention and an unfolding pandemic

She recalled that under international human rights law, States have an obligation to work to prevent foreseeable threats to public health and ensure that all who need vital medical care can receive it. The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (also known as the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’), meanwhile, set out measures to protect those in detention.

She likewise cautioned that any restrictions on visits to closed institutions should be introduced in a transparent way and communicated clearly, notably through expanded videoconferencing, allowing more phone calls with family members and permitting email.

And while it is vital to enforce physical distancing, she expressed deep concern that some countries are threatening to impose prison sentences for those who fail to obey – an action that is likely to exacerbate the grave situation in prisons and do little to halt the disease’s spread.

“Imprisonment should be a measure of last resort,” she said.

The UN Human Rights Office and the World Health Organization (WHO) are due this week to issue an interim guidance paper – COVID 19: Focus on persons deprived of their liberty – which will contain key messages and actions for UN agencies, governments and relevant authorities, national human rights institutions, and civil society.