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Geopolitics

COVID-19 And The Casualties Of War Rhetoric

Armed and ready?
Armed and ready?
Anne-Sophie Goninet

Are we "at war" with COVID-19? That's what we might believe from a quick tour of the planet's most powerful leaders, from the presidents of the United States and France to the director general of the World Health Organization to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who declared that we are in the middle of "a war to save humanity."

Germany's Head of State, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier countered the bellicose rhetoric, saying this crisis wasn't a war to save humanity, but "a test of our humanity." A subtle but powerful distinction.

Still, looking around, there is something to wartime references: we are mobilizing massive human and economic forces, rationing key supplies, fighting a common enemy (the virus), all which requires heroes, sacrifice and a collective spirit.

It's also true that when you're in a war, rules change. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban used the crisis to introduce new measures to virtually rule by decree without any time limit. Other countries such as Israel, South Korea and Singapore have launched tracking smartphone apps that will collect users' location data, for now with the purpose of containing the spread of the virus. But later? Will some governments utilize the new capabilities to further infringe on personal liberties?

Indeed, timing is everything. A war usually ends with the signature of an armistice. But there is no certain way to know when we will consider that the crisis is over. Neurology resident Adina Wise writes in Scientific American magazine: "If we are ‘at war" for an undetermined amount of time, battle fatigue may derail all efforts. Leaders would do better to promote civil responsibility and global solidarity instead of the idea of warfare. Finding a solution to the pandemic is a shared responsibility, and the solution must be global."

That solution, ultimately, is finding an efficient treatment, a vaccine or a drug to cure the virus. The number one priority is not some kind of victory "in a show of political force", as "in a health crisis, there is no balance of power with the virus', says French historian Bénédicte Chéron in Le Monde. We don't need violent strategies and soldiers, we need research and scientists.

Yes, the language we use to describe the crisis matters. An analysis of media coverage of the pandemic from a team from the University of Reading in the UK revealed that American and British journalists rely much more on the war rhetoric than their German counterparts, who tend to use a more scientific vocabulary. According to Dr Sylvia Jaworska, Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics, this scientific approach may reflect the country's quick and efficient response to the virus, as Germany has registered fewer deaths than other European countries, despite being the most populated in the EU.

"The reality is that the coronavirus doesn't distinguish between ‘friends' and ‘enemies' and no matter our physical strength or character they will not be enough to slow the death rate on their own," Jaworska writes. "Clear communication, along with effective testing and treatment options, will be what wins the fight against COVID-19." A fight? That sounds more like it.


For the coming weeks, Worldcrunch will be delivering daily updates on the coronavirus pandemic from the best, most trusted international news sources — regardless of language or geography. To receive the daily Coronavirus global brief in your inbox, sign up here.

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eyes on the U.S.

The Weight Of Trump's Indictment Will Test The Strength Of American Democracy

The U.S. legal system cannot simply run its course in a vacuum. Presidential politics, and democracy itself, are at stake in the coming weeks and months.

The Weight Of Trump's Indictment Will Test The Strength Of American Democracy

File photo of former U.S. President Donald Trump in Clyde, Ohio, in 2020.

Emma Shortis*

-Analysis-

Events often seem inevitable in hindsight. The indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump on criminal charges has been a possibility since the start of his presidency – arguably, since close to the beginning of his career in New York real estate.

But until now, the potential consequences of such a cataclysmic development in American politics have been purely theoretical.

Today, after much build-up in the media, The New York Times reported that a Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Trump and the Manhattan district attorney will now likely attempt to negotiate Trump’s surrender.

The indictment stems from a criminal investigation by the district attorney’s office into “hush money” payments made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels (through Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen), and whether they contravened electoral laws.

Trump also faces a swathe of other criminal investigations and civil suits, some of which may also result in state or federal charges. As he pursues another run for the presidency, Trump could simultaneously be dealing with multiple criminal cases and all the court appearances and frenzied media attention that will come with that.

These investigations and possible charges won’t prevent Trump from running or even serving as president again (though, as with everything in the U.S. legal system, it’s complicated).

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