Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order

by Colin Kahl, Thomas Wright, National Security expert

Two of America's leading national security experts offer the most definitive account of the global impact of COVID-19 and the political shock waves it will have on the US and the world order in the 21st Century.



"Informed by history, reporting, and a truly global perspective, this is an indispensable first draft of history and blueprint for how we can move forward."
--Ben Rhodes

The COVID-19 crisis is the greatest shock to world order since World War II. Millions have been infected and killed. The economic crash caused by the pandemic is the worst since the Great Depression, with the International Monetary Fund estimating that it will cost over $9 trillion of global wealth in the next few years. Many will be left impoverished and hungry. Fragile states will be further hollowed out, creating conditions ripe for conflict and mass displacement. Meanwhile, international institutions and alliances already under strain before the pandemic are teetering, while the United States and China, already at loggerheads before the crisis, are careening toward a new Cold War. China's secrecy and assertiveness have shattered hopes that it will become a responsible stakeholder in the international order.

Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright's Aftershocks is both a riveting journalistic account of one of the strangest years on record and a comprehensive analysis of the pandemic's ongoing impact on the foundational institutions and ideas that have shaped the modern world. This is the first crisis in decades without a glimmer of American leadership and it shows--there has been no international cooperation on a quintessential global challenge. Every country has followed its own path--nationalizing supplies, shutting their borders, and largely ignoring the rest of the world. The international order the United States constructed seven decades ago is in tatters, and the world is adrift. None of this came out of the blue. Public health experts and intelligence analysts had warned for a decade that a pandemic of this sort was inevitable. The crisis broke against a global backdrop of rising nationalism, backsliding democracy, declining public trust in governments, mounting rebellion against the inequalities produced by globalization, resurgent great power competition, and plummeting international cooperation.

And yet, there are some signs of hope. The COVID-19 crisis reminds us of our common humanity and shared fate. The public has, for the most part, responded stoically and with kindness. Some democracies--South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, New Zealand, among others--have responded well. America may emerge from the crisis with a new resolve to deal with non-traditional threats, like pandemic disease, and a new demand for effective collective action with other democratic nations. America may also finally be forced to come to grips with our nation's inadequacies, and to make big changes at home and abroad that will set the stage for opportunities the rest of this century holds.

But one thing is certain: America and the world will never be the same again.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, International Relations, International Affairs, Medicine, Audiobook

464 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 2021

Reviews

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

A difficult book to read. Not solely because it's a lot of rather dry material, but because of what it says about humanity in general and our "elite leaders" in particular.

Summary: the global response to COVID-19 was a shit show. It is a moral indictment on humanity that we couldn't collectively get our shit together when things were falling apart and help a) those most in need and b) each other in a cooperative fashion. It was also a moral failure from a Stoic perspective: lots of focus on what you can't control, not much on what you can, and not much clear thinking about what should be done to actually improve the situation.

This book is 345 pages of lots and lots of details of pandemic response from around the world. It is a lot of reporting, with not much explicit analysis. There is some implicit analysis, mostly when the authors talk about which countries were "successful" but they don't spell out what measures they are using. One presumes case counts, and by extension deaths. That is after all the consensus of what mattered (and still does as of Sept 2021). But is that really what matters? There is no mention of excess deaths until a passing mention on page 320 with no explanation of what excess deaths means, how it is determined, and why it is important. People get sick every year and people die from those illnesses, but if the excess deaths are within a "reasonable" boundary why would you shut down the entire world? Kind of important.

The premise of this book is that the crisis of the pandemic accelerated already ongoing changes on the geopolitical stage. Nations tending towards populism went more that way, nations tending (or already) authoritative went further. Poverty, inequality, etc degraded back to where they were 10 years ago. This should really be no great surprise, when crises come up people, communities, cultures and nations tend to turn inward. This being a big crisis, partly self inflicted, amped that up.

Why do I say "self inflicted?" On page 215 (and you can see this in other coverage of the pandemic) there is a quote from a WHO official, "the only time a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganize, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted, but by and large, we'd rather not do it." This was the CDC's advice before the pandemic as well, based on experience with past pandemics. But we did it anyway? Why? Because it "worked" for China.

It seems that the countries who performed "best" (by case counts of course) were those that had recent, previous experience with pandemics, learned what to do, and then stuck to those plans. E.g. Taiwan, and South Korea. Strangely Canada (my home and native land) which had experience with SARS, had a plan, etc. still abandoned those plans early on in our response. What this suggests to me is the quote by Hopf, “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” Here we are with hard times and weak men (and women). Of course we failed.

I did want to touch upon some of the wording choices; they are odd at times. I'll give 2 examples, but there were enough to make me take notice.
1) when talking about the virus when it reaches a developing world country (Ecuador?) and that lockdowns are no good (people have to work or they starve) the virus was "seeping through the cracks." Uh, better analogy would be to say it was like a forest fire.
2) "great power rivalry made the pandemic more likely and harder to contain." Harder to contain sure (except no one learned you can't contain it), but more likely? How so. Earlier in the book they point out that 2-5 zootrophic viruses emerge each year, occasionally some tear through populations and become epidemics, possibly pandemics. What does "great power rivalry" have to do with that, unless we're talking bioweapons (which we aren't).

[Hadrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early attempt to examine the intersection between the ongoing pandemic and international politics. Kahl is now in the Department of Defense and Wright is a senior fellow at Brookings. To sum up, their argument is that ongoing tensions and the breakdown of relations between the United States and China "made the pandemic both more likely and harder to contain".

The first chapters of the book discuss the intersection of the 1917 influenza pandemic and its impact on international affairs, drawing a comparison and analogy. Pandemics are exacerbated by policy responses and decisions, or the lack of a decision. Infectious diseases do not care about denials or rumors. In the 1917 influenza case, mass censorship and denial only worsened the outbreak, and eventually had a direct impact on high politics itself. President Woodrow Wilson contracted a serious case of influenza in 1919 and the authors say convincingly this torpedoed his ability to negotiate, and his illness meant the abandonment of his plans for the post-war plans.

The pandemic, according to the authors, was not a case of global cooperation as much as it was more great-power competition. As was reported in the Washington Post earlier this year, the WHO had been pulled in multiple directions by the demands of at first the Trump administration (to be more confrontational towards the Chinese) and then by China (stonewalling, and forcing the WHO to issue conclusions on the 'lab leak' hypothesis after an incomplete investigation). Successive chapters discuss the unequal impact and response to the pandemic, and possible implications for international cooperation (they say it's doubtful, even for something as consequential as climate change). Not to mention, to use the authors' example, the continuing effect on war zones and the refugees fleeing from them.

God dammit all we are not out of this yet.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that a book hits the trifecta: well written, well researched (with not just a spectacular geographic scope of how different countries managed the pandemic but also historical evidence about how the 1918 influenza epidemic hurt Wilson's attempts to build global order post-WWI) and well organized analytically (with 4 key reasons why the pandemic spread the way it did and 5 key effects on global geopolitics that organize the middle chapters).

The book may be criticized elsewhere for being a bit dry, but that's endemic to any attempt to record recent history, and at worst only really applies to the middle chapters not the first few or last. And the subject matter is vulnerable to changing quickly so we'll see if time makes this out of date. But easily the best I've read as of now on the COVID effect on global politics, and an exceptional work of history and analysis. Well worth reading.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10. The chapter on WHO comparing the institution’s success in pressuring Beijing to be more transparent during the SARS epidemic in 2003 against their failure in standing up to an ascendant China this time is outstanding. Also eye-opening are the chapter on how certain leaders (especially ones in Bolivia and Sri Lanka) with autocratic tendencies used the pandemic to enact emergency measures to suppress oppositions. Other chapters told the more familiar story of how the pandemic unfolded.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covid-19 has turned the world into chaos. The poor suffered great economic hardship. WHO bowed to China’s pressure and dared not criticise it. Trump cares more about the economy than health, though he did pushed for the development of vaccines - Operation Wrap Speed. European countries fought for vaccine access and masks. China suppressed its doctors and ultimately suppressed more freedom in order to have Covid zero. Democracy suffered and freedom is suppressed in the name of pandemic control. Rich countries hogged the vaccines that not everyone in their country actually want. China is getting harder to deal with, and America is not ready to take the lead on Covid.

The world in a mess. But this too shall pass.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy. This book will be released in August.
Kahl and Wright do an amazing job of breaking down the complexity of a global pandemic, the systemic failures that allowed it to become a household worry, and the politics that prevented its early containment. The authors inform the reader of the challenges and readiness of each country discussed in the past, present, and future. What were the successes and failures of each of the attempts to contain the virus? What are some of the concerns going forward. A case can be made that while everyone knew a pandemic was highly probable, it struck at a time when there was immense global division and this impeded what should have been a united battle. Very readable and informative!

[Cgallozzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review – “Aftershocks”
Pandemic Politics and the End of the International Order
Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright

I’ve chosen to review the book with reference to its three parts:

Part I – The last pandemic and the Collapse of the International Order

Takeaways:
• A Pandemic has happened before – The Spanish Influenza 1918-1920. One theory is that it may have started within the U.S. and few serious steps were taken to mitigate the Influenza because it was thought that such steps would detract from the War Effort.
• President Wilson – it is surmised that he could the “Spanish” Influenza – and this may have caused him to ‘back off’ from his previously stated negotiating positions.
• As a result, a ‘tough’ Versailles Treaty emerges; U.S. does not join the League of Nations.
• Treaty of Versailles reparation burden plus impact of the Depression sets the stage of unrest, nationalism (vs. Bolshevism threat) in Germany – and then the rise of The National Socialists.
• Prelude to WW II in Europe.

Analysis: The overview story about the Pandemic was better covered in John M. Barry’s “The Great Influenza” admittedly one whole book on this subject. The author’s basic point was that a Pandemic of this magnitude had happened before with serious impacts – on large numbers of people with impacts felt for generations.

Part II – International Crises, National Responses.

Takeaways:
• U.S. couldn’t/wouldn’t/didn’t organize and coordinate an International response to COVID-19.
• There is more than enough blame to ‘go around’ – Trump Administration, China, WHO.
• Countries were ‘left on their own’. U.S. States (Governors) were “left on their own”.
• Many many additional deaths especially Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East. One comment that …”25 years of progress on Healthcare and Inequality were wiped away in 25 weeks…” was impactful.
• Illiberal countries used the Pandemic to advance the security state and the illiberal order in particular countries.

Analysis: The U.S. Government did not handle this Pandemic well. Some other governments fared better – South Korea as an example – perhaps because it had experience dealing with SARS and other such Public Health Threats. The impact will be felt for generations in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. The authors bring forth the concept that this Pandemic did not just happen in a vacuum – but in the context of Environmental, Economic Inequality issues which impact some countries to a greater extent that they impact other countries.

Part III – New World Disorder

Takeaways:
• A Pandemic will happen again.
* The next Pandemic will again take place in the context of a Great Power Rivaly (U.S. and China) which will hurt the worlds ability to organize itself.
• The world is not prepared. The United States is not prepared.
• The authors make several proposals for construction of International Institutions to deal with an emerging Pandemic.

Analysis: The authors generate several reasonable proposals for the construction of International Institutions to deal with an emerging Pandemic. These institutions would need to be agreed upon and funded – and countries would need to both participate in and abide by decisions of this organization. In reference to Pogo…”we have met the enemy and it is us….”.

Little can be achieved when the residents of the United States cannot agree on the basics with reference to COVID-19 – was it a Pandemic? Did it do harm? Did people die? Did excess people die? Are masks effective? Are vaccines effective? How (if at all) should the U.S. Government respond and what, if anything, should the U.S. Government ask of its people? Is it in the United States’ interests to see that other countries have vaccines?

As of this writing no consensus (emerging or otherwise) on the answers to these and many more questions exist – I am not certain that there is a political basis/groundswell to ask for/support/demand that the U.S. Government prepare for the next Pandemic. As I write this review – local periodicals – The New York Times/The Atlantic Monthly have stories indicating that it is reasonable to assume that there will indeed be another Pandemic – and that the U.S. and the World just simply are not ready to combat another Pandemic. Some way of reconciling the different world views need to be found – or else no effective policies benefitting the entire population can be frame/implemented.

Carl Gallozzi
Cgallozzi@comcast.net

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of America's leading national security experts offer the most definitive account of the global impact of COVID-19 and the political shock waves it will have on the US and the world order in the 21st Century. "Informed by history, reporting, and a truly global perspective, this is an indispensable first draft of history and blueprint for how we can move forward." The COVID-19 crisis is the greatest shock to world order since World War I. Millions have been infected and killed. The economic crash caused by the pandemic is the worst since the Great Depression, with the International Monetary Fund estimating that it will cost over $9 trillion of global wealth in the next few years. Many will be left impoverished and hungry.
Fragile states will be further hollowed out, creating conditions ripe for conflict and mass displacement.
Meanwhile, international institutions and alliances already under strain before the pandemic are teetering, while the United States and China, already at loggerheads before the crisis, are careening toward a new Cold War. China's secrecy and assertiveness have shattered hopes that it will become a responsible stakeholder in the international order. Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright's Aftershocks is both a riveting journalistic account of one of the strangest years on record and a comprehensive analysis of the pandemic's ongoing impact on the foundational institutions and ideas that have shaped the modern world. This is the first crisis in decades without a glimmer of American leadership and it shows--there has been no international cooperation on a quintessential global challenge. Every country has followed its own path--nationalizing supplies, shutting their borders, and largely ignoring the rest of the world. The international order the United States constructed seven decades ago is in tatters, and the world is adrift. None of this came out of the blue. Public health experts and intelligence analysts had warned for a decade that a pandemic of this sort was inevitable. The crisis broke against a global backdrop of rising nationalism, backsliding democracy, declining public trust in governments, mounting rebellion against the inequalities produced by globalization, resurgent great power competition, and plummeting international cooperation. And yet, there are some signs of hope. The COVID-19 crisis reminds us of our common humanity and shared fate. The public has, for the most part, responded stoically and with kindness. Some democracies--South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, New Zealand, among others--have responded well. America may emerge from the crisis with a new resolve to deal with non-traditional threats, like pandemic disease, and a new demand for effective collective action with other democratic nations. America may also finally be forced to come to grips with our nation's inadequacies, and to make big changes at home and abroad that will set the stage for opportunities the rest of this century holds.

[David Margetts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book detailing the Covid crisis of 2020/21. The authors draw comparisons with the Great Flu pandemic (Spanish influenza) of 1918/19 following WWI, in respect of the impacts on the economy, world order, co-operation etc. Specifically they draw attention to the poorly created Treaty of Versailles and the reparations forced on Germany. These were exacerbated by the Wall St crash of 1929 and the subsequent depression in the 30's, leading to the rapid growth of populist leaders and ultimately fascism in Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan and WWII. They describe that in 2020, we also suffered a huge pandemic against a background of increasing nationalism, populism, and a backlash against capitalism and globalisation post the 2008/9 financial crisis, as many are deemed 'left behind'. This has punctuated an erosion of the 'world order' created after WWII, it's institutions, and the concept of expertise. All these things made the management of covid much more difficult and much more ineffective. Kahl and Wright outline the failures, and weaknesses in the system and in leadership around the world, and in contrast to the 2008/9 financial crisis, a vacuum in cooperation. Whilst there were clear 'winners' against covid, it seems many countries refused to learn from them (especially those who had learned from Sars / Mers etc) preferring to 'go their own way', not least the populist leaders such as Trump, Bolsonarro, Duterte, Netenyahu, Modi and Johnson.
Whilst the detailed explanations and examples of the effective and mismanagement of covid were excellent, more could have been given in terms of the threats going forward. Indeed only a few pages were given to the 'Aftershocks' on the economy, massive debt, inflation, supply chains and employment. Likewise little was said about the Geo-political impacts of ever greater nationalism, isolation, and the growth of the authoritarians, China, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Russia, India etc
Clearly we are at a very dangerous point, given the vacuum in leadership and effective co-operation across the world as we grapple with de-gobalisation, reducing democracy, crumbling institutions, vast inequality, and a reversal of improving living standards. This at a time when we face some of the greatest challenges, not least conflict in Ukraine, the dangers for Taiwan, potential future pandemics, a commodity crisis, financial volatility, and not least the transition to a no-carbon environment.
The future does not look good, and covid has shown how weak and ineffective so many leaders and governments can be in this new world of disorder!

[ManOfLaBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more bookish posts please visit https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order by Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright takes a look at the global impact of COVID-19, including the political outcomes for the future. Mr. Kahl and Mr. Wright are America national security expects.

It’s important to realize that we’re still far away from the end of COVID-19, but books about the mishandling of the pandemic on a global level are starting to come out. Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order by Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright is certainly one of them.

Unlike other books I read, such as Preventable, this one touches on the international community as well, not the US specifically. The book is well outlined, and furthermore sourced to a fault.

The year 2020 has been a strange one, some people certainly fared well… I felt as if I aged five years. The authors point out that this is the first crisis in several decades lacking American leadership, as well as international cooperation. Furthermore, the authors assess that the damage to United States prestige and diplomatic power done by the Trump Administration’s actions will forever hinder America’s soft power and trust among allies.

The book was very informative, as well as very readable. The authors go to great lengths to make sure all of their information is, indeed, sourced. If not from an academic work specifically, then from a person who spoke “on the record”, for the most part.

The book discusses the past, present, and future of many countries and their readiness. Equally important, the success and failures are also being discussed in an analytical, apolitical manner.

That being said, this book is not all doom and gloom. The concerns going forward are discussed towards the end in a very efficient manner.

Whether or not COVID-19 is going to have the significant geopolitical ramifications the book states remains to be seen. However, we can already see the signs on the wall for the next pandemic.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped reading about a third of the way through this book.

This book is politically biased though not as terribly biased as some books I have read. I have run into this before from authors who had the best of intentions, very intelligent authors who were trying to give us their very best. I'm looking at you, "Famine- 1975! America's Decision: Who Will Survive?" by Paddock & Paddock. Good guys. Very smart. Totally missed it.

In this case, the authors of Aftershocks were looking at how the COVID pandemic was handled from a strictly political/foreign policy angle. They are not medical doctors. They are foreign policy experts and from that point of view they made some good points. And if they had kept to that point of view I might have given them an extra star, maybe even two... but they didn't.

As I said before, it wasn't terrible. If you are annoyed with President Trump but also cringe whenever the Left loses its collective mind every time the president expresses an opinion, well... you might like this book. The authors didn't lose their minds. They simply pointed out the failures of President Trump regarding how his administration handled the COVID crisis. Most of the criticisms were reasonable. The authors also didn't spare criticism for President Obama or President Biden, or for that matter, President Truman. They pointed out the flaws in those administrations, but the difference was that the authors always had a plausible explanation that excused each president, except for President Trump.

After a while I grew tired of it.

FYI, I am no kind of Trump supporter, but I am also not a Trump hater. I am simply not plagued by Trump-Derangement-Syndrome like so many others I see on TV and in my personal life.

I doubt I will revisit this book, but I have been known to return to books I have panned in the past.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am one of the readers who is leaving a review nearly four years after this book was published, but I can confidently say that while I enjoyed it, it was quite underwhelming.

I went into this expecting intricate analysis on the obsolescence of the “Liberal International Order” and how it has/had affected pandemic politics; maybe sprinkle in and analyse different IR theoretical frameworks with the (mis)handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

By the second chapter, I knew it wasn’t going to be that way. It read like a History book rather than a PoliSci book, which isn’t a bad thing (just not what I was expecting). The conclusions/analysis brought forth by Kahl and Wright (2021) were surface level; the most it gave by this point was that The Great Influenza, in conjunction with WWI, lead to the fall of the LIO because Woodrow Wilson was too sick and thus, his ambitions for a Fourteen Points-forward League of Nations never manifested.

The rest was a retelling of Covid-19 being a mishandled shitshow, thanks to the emergence of an authoritarian major power (China), isolationist populism, and each-nation-for-itself approach. Kudos to the authors for shining a light on other nation-states as well, and not just Trump’s America and China.

Nonetheless, I get it. Condensing such rich history and something as big as a PANDEMIC into a few chapters isn’t easy. Each chapter could have and has been its own book. I foresee someone eager for a quick History lesson enjoying this book and excerpts being used for reflective practices in first-year uni modules.

I believe this is a good read in a way that it leaves a lot of room for the reader to reflect on what has transpired 4-5 years on since the outbreak in Wuhan. That’s basically it.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this book, but I blame school. But the point is, how the world reacted to the pandemic demonstrated CLEARLY the ill-preparedness and absolute incapability of our world leaders. The book is a great overview of what an “aftershock” is and gives historical examples beyond COVID to demonstrate their arguments, and if you want to know how everything went wrong, this is perfect. Then we come to the conclusions which is where I deviate from the authors. I don’t think this bilateral support for pandemic reform can be reached in the United States, and I don’t think our global politicians can pull together a revamping of the international order with the lack of leadership and devastating ongoing conflicts. That’s what got us here in the first place, and it still is bogging us down. Moreover, because this book came out before the end of the pandemic (even if we act like it’s over), there is so much more that gives me a pessimistic perspective rather than that of the optimistic authors. They don’t really deal with the Delta variant, and the US deaths had not reached 800,000 by the time of their publication. The same can be said of the Omicron variant and the absolute nightmare it has been. In sum, I don’t think these lessons would be consistent in the six or seven months that have passed since publication. Some absolutely remain true, but I still remain pessimistic.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book describes a completely different experience from what I remember at the time and I was very well up on geopolitics. Uk based. I read about a third and quit in disgust.

Extremely Americancentric and ensures they come off well (given they had Trump leading). Which is not how I recall events at all. Trump is a bully and forced other countries to bend to his will to their detriment. There is a lot more to be said about the USA/Trump and geopolitics, none of it favourable.
Not much is said in detail about Europe or Antipodean or Asian countries or responses. China obviously is discussed. You can imagine in what way.

I found the narrative/analysis shallow, simplistic, biased and lacking in credibility.

I didn’t finish it and will source and read a better analysis - probably one that wasn’t rushed out before the main pandemic ended (given many people are still dying and being affected by C19). Because there was much more to say about the following 2 years and more information about government responses have become available. Wish I hadn’t bought the book nor wasted hours trying to slog through it.
The most interesting bit was the history of WW1 and the influenza outbreak, which was the 1st couple of chapters.
I really want to let rip about how this book describes events and about USA in general (it’s 2025 now and we are so much wiser and more horrified).

Don’t bother with this book it’s not worth it.

[Mihir Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did the world handle one of the largest crisis of our times ? Did the leaders live up to the expectations ? Which countries did better ? Did democracy suffer ? How did the monetary policy adapt? And did it forever change pecking order ?

Authors Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright do a good job of answering the above - and raising a few more questions.
The book is well researched and one of parts that interested me most was the way various countries handled it from China to UK to Rwanda to Taiwan. Is there a pattern on who did better and who did not ?
You get a sense that the world leadership vacuum impacted the how we dealt this. US not fully engaged with EU and other countries, meant each country had to look for itself and that was not the most efficient way to handle the crisis.
Another interesting subject is 'Was China responsible and did China contribute to the solution ? How will this playout if it happens again ?'
The politics of Covid and vaccines is interesting, were vaccines actually donated by China or were there strings attached - especially wrt relationships with Taiwan ( Ex https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...)

Overall a good read - a bit too long for me, But yes I will be googling more and connecting the dots on this. Very interesting subject.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book that puts the COVID pandemic into a strategic context across the diplomatic, informational, military, and economic sources of national power. Recommended for my strategist friends and anyone interested in how COVID has effected the international order. The book starts off with an excellent comparison to President Wilson's moves within the context of the end of World War I and the Spanish flu, does case study drill downs of different countries' responses without an unifying international plan, and offers some lessons learned and a way ahead. I was hooked so why not five stars? The authors do rely on some material from Bob Woodward and engage in some Trump bashing which is distracting. Just stick to the facts, not from Bob Woodward, and the story of a failed response to the pandemic will tell itself. We would all do well to remember that vaccinations are not to be weaponized for national gain, rather the best defense for America is to ensure our neighbors and competitors are enabled to attack a virus outbreak to prevent blowback on us. Viruses are not contained by borders, especially in an era of globalization.

[Richard Marney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors present an informative summary of pandemics past (the Great Influenza) and present (Covid) in Parts I and II, before delving into the current pandemic’s implications for our global order (or disorder, as they call it) in Part III, via an examination of individual country cases. None of the global powers acquitted themselves well. Trump…..well nothing more needs to be said! Smaller countries did better (NZ, Taiwan and Rwanda, for example).The discussion of the effects of civil liberties and international relations is especially insightful and worrying. In Part IV, the future is discussed, with the usual well reasoned but impractical policy recommendations.

For readers who have limited their exposure to the day-to-day public health, economic, and political news during the pandemic, this book is an excellent primer. Otherwise, a useful read, albeit with license to skim over parts that provide information you already know.

[Doni · Rating 3 out of 5]

All-encompassing and even-handed, I found myself trusting what these authors had to say. Particularly what made them trustworthy to me was that they criticized Trump without lambasting him. One thing I found interesting is that they predict China and the U.S. will be the key players in influencing the rest of the world in the near future. This is different from what I've read about Russia in its power grab of Ukraine. In this analysis, Russia wasn't much of a consideration. One of the conclusions the authors drew was that the difference between autocratic and democratic countries wasn't a convincing explanation for whether or not their leaders came up with effective responses to the pandemic. Rather, recent failures did because the leaders knew they had to take stringent measures in order to be successful.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it reads more like a textbook it is an excellent read. The authors do not focus solely on how Trump botched the United States' COVID response, but how virtually every other country came from behind and some have not caught up yet. They do focus on China causing the initial turmoil and subsequent deaths because they were hungry for power and withheld important information. They do not do it in a nasty or bashing manner, but explain in detail how each country responded and where the threads to others intertwined.

At 355 pages it is chock full of information and not a quick read. Heavily annotated with notes it is a well researched must read. I can see it being used as a textbook in any of the sciences classes including Sociology.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I was not too sure of what to expect when I started the book, but it gave me some good insight on what to expect in the years to come.

The book started with some of the happenings in the world after World War I when the Spanish Flu ravaged the world. From here, we read about the under-appreciated impact that the Spanish Flu had on the geopolitics of the times.
Then, Colin Kahl moved on to Covid-19 and the behavior of the various national leaders during the last years,
He ended the book with a recommendation on what should be done in the years to come.

It is, as much a book about leadership, as it is about Covid. A good book.

[Brenda Kochis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book that outlines the effect that pandemics have on the world internationally. Starting with the 1918 Flu and ending with the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, the authors looked at the effect not only on the U.S. but all over the world. They list what was done well and what was not; too often a country started out doing well but slid downhill when they relaxed precautions. A fair amount of information was presented re China's unwillingness to provide information, as well as the role some leaders (including Trump) played in the continuing virus surges.

The book goes through the first part of 2021, although the pandemic is still happening today at the end of 2021.

[Amanda Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about international politics during the pandemic.

I think this book gave a good overview of what happened during the pandemic, and all the different players involved. It dove into economics, politics, healthcare, social systems, etc. I can't imagine it's easy to write this type of book while the events are still happening. It's almost like writing history.

I like the case studies on various countries, and how their systems and histories impacted the outcomes.

Overall, a very informative read.

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid US-centric overview of global health policy with decent background on prior pandemics, including coverage of SARS that was new to me, and some behind-the-scenes from both the Trump and Biden administration approaches. There's a certain amount of both-sidism to balance the Trump critiques - mostly in terms of a stridently anti-China perspective. It's very much a Washington politics book. But, overall, it's quite good in laying out missed opportunities and providing some sense of future multilateral possibilities.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors start with an overview of where Covid-19 sits in global history before analysing the impacts of Covid-19 on the political situations of various countries in the world.

I enjoyed learning about the inter-war years, as well as the impacts of Covid-19 on the political situations in Latin American, Middle Eastern and African countries. While I’m very familiar with Covid-19’s impact in Asia, the book provided a succinct insight into what happened on the other side of the world.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overview of politics just before, during and what the authors foresee after the pandemic. The USA is the most volatile and changeable of the countries, but several have changed from Democratic to autocratic in recent years. The opposite situation is highlighted by Australia and South Korea which instituted strict public health measures while keeping democracy strong.

[Carlos Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

more than a post covid book new world order

Covid 19 is that event that changed everything. True in international relations. The authors due hit the mark- covid just aggregated what had been happening, aggressive Rusia, rising China, nationalism, Trump US and a all over the place Europe. Must read

[Bruce]

This is a terrific book - a clear, compelling read, rich with new facts and new analysis. The first and likely to be the best account of the geopolitics of Covid. As we strive to make sense of this dreadful episode, this is a must read.

[Chase Metcalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid history of COVID-19 and impact on international system. There is likely little new to those who followed the news throughout the pandemic and the author argues for the importance of global leadership and cooperation to deal with future pandemics and biological threats.

[Frank Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative,,

Packed with information, this book tells of actions and reactions of the international community at the outset and through the first years of the Covid 19 pandemic.

[Shivank Taksali · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we grapple with the fallout from COVID-19, it is worth recalling that today’s “once in a century” pandemic is not the first time that a contagion has touched people in every corner of the globe and shaken the very foundations of international order.