Zahid Jadwat | Mohammed Arai
The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the status quo around the world. With countries now rushing to contain and eliminate Covid-19, questions have been raised as to whether or not things will get back to normal once the virus is put to rest.
One such question is: Will western values persist beyond the pandemic?
“The notion of western solidarity has been sorely tested,” said Na’eem Jeenah who heads the Afro-Middle East Centre (AMEC).
Jeenah pointed out that each country within the European Union may have chosen to protect its own interests rather than uniting to fight the coronavirus pandemic together.
“Countries that are part of the European Union have sealed their borders in order to protect themselves despite being part of the [European] Union. So, the question is whether the European Union will remain as united post-corona as it has been, or has this challenge been a bit too much?”
Europe is currently the worst-hit continent after the United States. In Italy alone, 11,591 have died, with Spain next in line.
The United States is currently taking the global lead with 139,000 total confirmed cases after having surpassed China, where the disease was first detected towards the end of 2019.
Speaking about western values in the American context, Jeenah said: “What we’ll see in the United States is the rise of populist strongman leaders. These people will come to the fore because at this time they offer solutions that are seemingly more certain.”
Listen to the full discussion below:
Featured image by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.
