Covid-19 has implications not only for health, well-being and prosperity but also for security and peace. The impact of the virus on war torn societies could be devastating, whether the scene is of massive physical destruction as in Syria, or the rampaging power of militias, jihadi groups and criminal gangs as in parts of the Sahel and Horn of Africa. Ramping up the humanitarian response, even though the big humanitarian headquarters are themselves part of the general lockdown, is one necessity.
The UN Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire is a second one – though whether the call will be heeded, heaven knows. Beyond that the Covid-19 virus has revealed a worrying and widespread lack of social and political resilience.
Resilience
The suppression of information, leaders going into denial, policies changing from one day to the next, the urge to blame the outsider – it has not been an impressive display of resilience. And that is not to speak about the decline in global trade as the world economy heads for a recession that will be worse, by many accounts, than what followed the financial crash of 2008.
