Link to the interview: https://worldbeyondwar.org/gorbachev-time-to-revise-the-entire-global-agenda/
That awkward moment when you realize Mikhail Gorbachev would be a better world leader during this Covid-19 crisis than either Putin or Trump, who just defunded the WHO last week.
Narrow, national self-interest is a dumb way of fighting a global pandemic. Remember how Trump restricted China travel on Jan. 31 and then wasted critical weeks pretending he solved the problem -- epitomized in his infamous "their new hoax" remarks he delivered at a South Carolina rally on Feb. 28?
Well, the virus showed up on our doorstep anyway, and now thanks to our lack of preparedness, the U.S. is now the global epicenter of the outbreak.
China, where the virus originated, is now exporting medical equipment and expertise to help other countries cope, and benefitting hugely in diplomatic terms. Meanwhile, we're stuck begging our ally South Korea for PPE, tests, and other supplies. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/24/coronavirus-response-trump-requests-supplies-from-south-korea.html
Not to mention Trump's sudden and total defunding of the WHO, which Trump has now pivoted to scapegoating in order to mask the failures in his own Administration's response. Side-note: The WHO shouldn't be free of criticism, by the way, but the crisis is way overblown and Trump given his own failures in handling Covid-19 in America totally lacks credibility on that subject. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/04/trump-defunds-world-health-organization-coronavirus
When the dust clears on the Covid-19 epidemic, historians may look back on this crisis as the end of the American century and the beginning of the Chinese one.
It doesn't have to be this way.
America is still the greatest country in the world, and we still possess the fundamental strengths necessary to rebuild our alliances and reassert our place in the world.
But not under President Trump. And if we have to endure another 4 years of his leadership, we may fall too far behind China to come back.
