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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 ©TheEditor(s)(ifapplicable)andTheAuthor(s),underexclusivelicensetoSpringerNature SingaporePteLtd.2022 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsaresolelyandexclusivelylicensedbythePublisher,whether thewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuse ofillustrations,recitation,broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherphysicalway,and transmissionorinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilar ordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. 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The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore 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,education, 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 vii 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. ix 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 xi