Mind the Corona Trap
WHY THE DOOMSDAY SCENARIOS FOR WORLD AFFAIRS ARE PREMATURE
As in every major crisis, the psychological downward spiral of this pandemic is remarkable. Its invisible vastness and its stealth stimulate the mind’s capacity to assume the worst. And so COVID-19 has triggered an avalanche of predictions that the world as we know it is at an end.
Depending on individual taste and temperament, analysts tell us that, inevitably, China will soon reign supreme; that representative democracy and the Western model are in decline; that “neoliberal” capitalism and globalization are doomed; and that the nations of the industrialized world will be less open and free, less connected and poorer.
Past crises have indeed hastened change. And certainly, this viral storm will leave much wreckage. But lessons from past calamities don’t tell us that things always turn out worse. Even bad initial notes don’t always signal a bleak coda. It is by no means certain that the end is nigh for the Western world.
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