Danna Barredo

B4F – ZGE 4309

POLITICAL ANALYSIS ON COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The epidemic has already had serious health consequences and is expected to have
long-term consequences. COVID-19 has had substantial social and political consequences in
addition to economic ramifications in a variety of industries. According to the IMF, the world
economy would contract by 4.4 percent in 2020. The decrease, according to the organization, is
the greatest since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It also demonstrates several of COVID-
19's political consequences, such as how it has intensified current political tensions inside and
between nations, increased pre-existing international challenges connected to people mobility,
and influenced levels of trust and political engagement.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the number of people out of work
in the United States reached an all-time high of 8.9% last year, bringing a decade of
employment growth to a stop. Millions of people have also been placed on government-
sponsored employment retention programs as certain sectors of the economy, such as tourism
and hospitality, have come to a halt. In many nations, the quantity of new employment
openings remains low. The agriculture industry has also encountered significant difficulties.
Agricultural commodities prices declined dramatically in the early stages of the epidemic, owing
in part to decreasing demand from hotels and restaurants. Many meat-processing industries
have been the epicenters of COVID-19 outbreaks, resulting in shutdowns and meat shortages in
the food supply chain. The restaurant and food service industries have suffered substantial
financial challenges, and many firms have had to close their doors. In certain occasions, the
government has intervened to compel temporary closures or impose regulations that
necessitate considerable changes to a typical restaurant business model.

There is an image of an opportunistic hegemon who refuses to take any humanitarian

perspective as a reference, even utilizing a severe health crisis as a weapon against opponents.
With this strategy, the United States' reputation as a country that does not trust even its friends
has been enhanced. It should not be forgotten that, in this global health catastrophe, the
United States has failed not only its adversaries, such as Iran, but also friends, such as Italy, by
disregarding their pleas for assistance. China, ironically, raced to Italy's help, revealing some
information about China's new hegemonic ambitions. The first major test came in the face of
the COVID-19 epidemic, when the US chose to block its borders rather than defend its friends
(for example, in response to Italy's desperate pleas for assistance).
 The pandemic has the potential to intensify existing inter-state political tensions. COVID-
19, for example, has the potential to exacerbate tensions between India and Pakistan over
Kashmir. We might witness greater entrenchment of the armed status quo, as well as local
initiatives to emphasize the weakness of Indian administration in Kashmir, while political
leaders in both nations focus on combating the virus. The deployment of strong Indian
nationalist tactics to shift public attention away from the COVID-19 situation is a possibility.
However, the magnitude of the pandemic danger would most likely shift emphasis in India and
Pakistan to the urgent needs of public health services and the need to alleviate domestic
economic distress.

As a result, the experience of a new type of coronavirus epidemic demonstrates that in

this new period, rivalry among the major nations may be ruthless and unforgiving. The
competition between major powers, who are meant to work together with a sense of global
responsibility in times of crisis, is harmful to the entire globe. Politicians and other decision-
makers will be under growing pressure to devise measures that are successful in confining the
epidemic, reducing its economic impact, and mitigating its negative social and political
implications. They must balance a wide range of interests, values, and demands while also
ensuring that they are guided by strong scientific data.

In this moment, war is a crime since it will affect not only the countries involved, but
also the people who will suffer, and countless lives will be sacrificed in the name of history.
Shooting firearms and causing mayhem will not aid in the recovery from the pandemic; instead,
be sensible and have empathy for politicians to do what is reasonable and good for the people.

REFERENCES

ANALYSIS - COVID-19 pandemic as global political crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.aa.com.tr

website: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/analysis-covid-19-pandemic-as-global-

political-crisis/1777581

‌Bonotti, M., & Zech, S. T. (2021). The Human, Economic, Social, and Political Costs of COVID-

19. Recovering Civility during COVID-19, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-

6706-7_1
‌Jones, L., Palumbo, D., & Brown, D. (2021, January 24). Coronavirus: How the pandemic has

changed the world economy. BBC News. Retrieved from

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51706225