(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 11 April 2020)
R stet-rsponsz t ɖ vîṛs śiftñ ɖ baḷns v pǎr btwn Ćîna n ɖ wst?
Patric Wintur, Saṭde, 11 Epril 2020
Andrà tutto bene, ɖ Itałnz hv tòt s t ʈnc, bt in truʈ, wl evrʈñ b betr ɖ de aftr? It me sīm preṃtyr, in ɖ mdst v ẃt Imańl Macrõ hz dscrîbd az “a wor agnst an inviẓbl eṇmi”, t cnsidr ɖ p’liticl n ic̣nomic consiqnsz v a distnt pīs. Fy atmt a dfiṇtiv rvy v a ple aftr ɖ frst ʈri sīnz.
Yt wrld līdrz, dipḷmats n jioṗliticl aṇlists nǒ ɖe r livñ ʈru eṗc-mcñ tîmz n hv wn î on ɖ dêli combat, ɖ uɖr on ẃt ɖs crîsis wl bqiɖ ɖ wrld. Cmpitñ îdioḷjiz, pǎrblócs, līdrz n sistmz v sośl chīźn r biyñ stres-tstd in ɖ cort v wrld-opińn.
Olrdi evrwn in ɖ globl vilij z startñ t drw lésnz. In Frans, Macrõ hz pridictd “ɖs pirịd wl hv tòt s a lot. Mni srṭntiz n cnvix́nz wl b swept awe. Mni ʈñz ɖt w ʈt wr imposbl r haṗnñ. Ɖ de aftr ẃn w hv wún, it wl nt b a rtrn t ɖ de bfr, w wl b strongr moṛli. W wl drw ɖ consiqnsz, ol ɖ consiqnsz.” H hz promist t start wɖ mejr hlʈ-invstmnt. A Macrõnist grūp v MPs hz olrdi startd a Jour d’Après websait.
In Jrṃni, ɖ formr Sośl Deṃcratic parti foṛn ministr Sigmar Gabriel hz l’mntd ɖt “w tōct ɖ stet dǎn fr 30 yirz”, n pridicts ɖ nxt jeṇreśn wl b les nîīv abt gloḅlîześn. In Iṭli, ɖ formr prîm ministr Mațeo Rnzi hz cōld fr a cmiśn intu ɖ fyćr. In Hoñ Coñ, gṛfīti rīdz: “Ɖr cn b no rtrn t norml bcz norml wz ɖ probḷm in ɖ frst ples.” Hnri Cisinjr, ɖ YS secṛtri v stet undr Rićd Nixn, sz rūlrz mst priper nǎ t trnziśn t a post-c’roṇvîṛs wrld-ordr.
Ɖ YN secṛtri jenṛl, Antóniu Gteriś, hz sd: “Ɖ rleśnśp btwn ɖ bigist pǎrz hz nvr bn az dsfuñśnl. Covid-19 z śowñ dṛmaticli, îɖr w jôn [tgɖr] … or w cn b dfitd.”
Ɖ dscuśn in globl ʈnctancs rejz, nt abt cooṗreśn, bt ẃɖr ɖ Ćînīz or ɖ YS wl imrj az līdrz v ɖ post-c’roṇvîṛs wrld.
In ɖ YC, ɖ dbet hz bn reḷtivli insylr. Ɖ ǎtgwñ Lebr līdrśp brīfli srćt fr vindceśn in ɖ evidnt rīhbiḷteśn v ɖ stet n its wrcfors. Ɖ def̣niśn v public srvis hz bn xtndd t includ ɖ dlivridrîvr n ɖ humbl cornrśop ǒnr. Indd, t b “a neśn v śopcīprz”, ɖ gret Npolionic insult, no longr lcs so bad.
Ɖ obvịs n wîdli drwn paṛlel hz bn, az so ofn in Britn, ɖ secnd wrldwor. In Ɖ Rod t 1945, Pōl Adisn’z dfiṇtiv acǎnt v hǎ ɖ secnd wrldwor hlpt trn Britn t ɖ left, h qots ɖ dayri v ɖ jrṇlist JL Hodsn in Sptmbr 1944: “No xksz eni mor fr unimplômnt n slumz n unḍfīdñ. W hv śoun in ɖs wor w Britiś d’nt mudl ʈru. Yzñ īvn haf ɖ viźn n eṇji n invnśn n pŭlñ tgɖr w’v dn in ɖs wor n ẃt z ɖr w canot d? W’v vrć̣li xplodd ɖ arğmnt v old fogiz n Betr Nt’rz hu sd w canot aford ɖs n ms’nt d ɖt. Ǎr hevi taxeśn n raṣ́ñ v fūd hz wili-nili aćivd sm leṿlñ p v ɖ neśn.” In ɖ sem vein, Boris Jonsn hz bn forst t unlīś ɖ stet, bt ɖ impact in Britn sīmz mor notisbl on sivl ssayti ɖn poḷtics. Ɖ feṃsli standofiś Britiś r no longr bolñ alon. Ɖ sns v coḿnl ef̣t, ɖ voḷntir hlʈwrcrz, ɖ unBritiś clapñ on dorsteps, ol ad t ɖ sns ɖt lost sośl capitl z biyñ rformd. Bt ɖr z nt yt mć dscuśn v a ny poḷtics. Phps ɖ neśn, xōstd bî Brexit, canot cǒp wɖ mor intṛspx́n n uphivl.
In Yṛp, ɖ YS n Eźa ɖ dscuśn hz brōdnd ǎt. Public lîf me b at a standstil, bt public dbet hz axeḷretd. Evrʈñ z p fr dbet – ɖ tred-ofs btwn a traśt icoṇmi n public hlʈ, ɖ reḷtiv vrćuz v sntṛlîzd or rījṇlîzd hlʈsistmz, ɖ xpozd fṛjiḷtiz v gloḅlîześn, ɖ fyćr v ɖ YY, popylizm, ɖ inhiṛnt advantij v oʈoṛterịnizm.It z az f ɖ pandemic hz trnd intu a comṗtiśn fr globl līdrśp, n it wl b ɖ cuntriz ɖt most ifctivli rspond t ɖ crîsis ɖt wl gen trax́n. Dipḷmats, oṗretñ ǎt v emtid emḅsiz, r bizi dfndñ ɖer guvnmnts’ hanḍlñ v ɖ crîsis, n ofn tec dīp ofns t criṭsizm. Naśnl prîd, n hlʈ, r at stec. Ć cuntri lcs at ɖer nebr t si hǎ qcli ɖe r “flaṭnñ ɖ crv”.
Ɖ Crîsisgrūp ʈnctanc, in asesñ hǎ ɖ vîṛs wl prṃnntli ćenj inṭnaśnl poḷtics, sjsts: “Fr nǎ w cn dsrn tū cmpitñ naṛtivz genñ cuṛnsi – wn in ẃć ɖ lésn z ɖt cuntriz òt t cm tgɖr t betr dfit Covid-19, n wn in ẃć ɖ lésn z ɖt cuntriz nīd t stand apart in ordr t betr pṛtct ɖmslvz fṛm it.
“Ɖ crîsis olso repriznts a starc tst v ɖ cmpitñ clemz v libṛl n ilibṛl stets t betr manij xtrim sośl dstres. Az ɖ pandemic unfoldz it wl tst nt onli ɖ oṗreśnl cpaṣtiz v orġnîześnz lîc ɖ WHO n ɖ YN bt olso ɖ besic asumśnz abt ɖ valyz n p’liticl barginz ɖt unḍpin ɖm.”
Mni r olrdi clemñ ɖt ɖ īst hz wún ɖs wor v cmpitñ naṛtivz. Ɖ Sǎʈ C’riyn f’loṣfr Byŭñ-Ćŭl Han, in an influenśl ese in El País, hz argyd ɖ victrz r ɖ “Eźn stets lîc Jpan, C’rīa, Ćîna, Hoñ Coñ, Tîwan or Snġpor ɖt hv an oʈoṛterịn mntaḷti ẃć cmz fṛm ɖer culćṛl tṛdiśn [v] Cnfyṣ́nizm. Ppl r les rbełs n mor obījnt ɖn in Yṛp. Ɖe trust ɖ stet mor. Dêli lîf z mć mor orġnîzd. Abv ol, t cnfrunt ɖ vîṛs Eźnz r stroñli cmitd t dijitl sveḷns. Ɖ eṗdemics in Eźa r fòt nt onli bî vroḷjists n eṗdīmioḷjists, bt olso cmpytrsayntists n big-deta speṣ́lists.”H pridicts: “Ćîna wl nǎ b ebl t sel its dijitl p’līștet az a modl v s’xes agnst ɖ pandemic. Ćîna wl dsple ɖ s’pirioṛti v its sistm īvn mor prǎdli.” H clemz wstn votrz, atractd t sefti n cḿṇti, mt b wilñ t sacṛfîs ɖoz liḅtiz. Ɖr z litl liḅti in biyñ forst t spend sprñ śut in yr ǒn flat.
Hǎ c’roṇvîṛs ćenjd ɖ wrld in ʈri munʈs – vidio
Ɖ Harṿd inṭnaśnl-rleśnz ʈiyrist Stìvn Wōlt ʈncs Ćîna me s’xid. Of̣rñ a frst tec t Foṛn Poḷsi maġzīn, h sjsts: “C’roṇvîṛs wl axeḷret ɖ śift v pǎr n inflụns fṛm wst t īst. Sǎʈ C’rīa n Snġpor hv śoun ɖ bst rspons n Ćîna hz manijd wel in ɖ aftrmaʈ v its iniśl mstecs. Ɖ guvnmnts’ rspons in Yṛp n ɖ YS hz bn vri scepticl n lîcli t wìcn ɖ pǎr v ɖ wstn brand.”
Mni on ɖ Yṛpiyn left, sć az ɖ Sḷvīńn f’loṣfr Slavoj Žižek, olso fir an oʈoṛterịn cntejn, pridictñ in ɖ wst “a ny barḅrizm wɖ a hymn fes – ruʈlis svîṿlist meźrz inforst wɖ rgret n īvn simṗʈi, bt l’jiṭmîzd bî xprt opińnz”.Bî contrast, Śivśancar Menon, a viẓtñpṛfesr at Aśoca Yṇvrṣti in India, sz: “Xpirịns so far śoz ɖt oʈoṛterịnz or popylists r no betr at hanḍlñ ɖ pandemic. Indd, ɖ cuntriz ɖt rspondd rli n s’xesf̣li, sć az C’rīa n Tîwan, hv bn dmocṛsiz – nt ɖoz run bî popylist or oʈoṛterịn līdrz.”
Fransis Fŭkuyama cncŕz: “Ɖ mejr dvîdñlîn in ifctiv crîsis-rspons wl nt ples ōtocṛsiz on wn sîd n dmocṛsiz on ɖ uɖr. Ɖ crūśl dtrminnt in pformns wl nt b ɖ tîp v reźīm, bt ɖ stet’s cpaṣti n, abv ol, trust in guvnmnt.” H hz prezd Jrṃni n Sǎʈ C’rīa.
Sǎʈ C’rīa z in fact selñ itslf az ɖ deṃcratic pǎr, in contrast t Ćîna, ɖt hz bst handld ɖ crîsis. Its naśnl pres z fl v articlz on hǎ Jrṃni z folowñ ɖ Sǎʈ C’riyn modl v mas-tstñ.
Bt Sǎʈ C’rīa, an xport-orientd icoṇmi, olso fesz loñ-trm dificltiz f ɖ pandemic forsz ɖ wst, az Pṛf. Jozif Stiglits pridicts, intu a totl ri’sesmnt v ɖ globl s’plî ćen. H argyz ɖ pandemic hz rvild ɖ drwbacs v consntretñ pṛdux́n v medicl s’plîz. Az a rzult, jst-in-tîm imports wl g dǎn n pṛdux́n v dmesticli sorst gdz wl g p. Sǎʈ C’rīa me gen kdos, bt lūz marcits.
Ɖ luzr at ɖ momnt, apart fṛm ɖoz lîc Stīv Bann hu argyd fr “ɖ dīcnstrux́n v ɖ administṛtiv stet”, riscs biyñ ɖ YY.
Sm v Yṛp’s most sceɖñ critics hv bn ɖ pro-Yṛpiynz. Nicol Gnesoțo, ɖ vîs-prezidnt v ɖ Źac D’lor Insttyt ʈnctanc, sz: “Ɖ YY’z lac v preṗreśnz, its pǎrlisnis, its tmidti r staġrñ. V cors, hlʈ z nt part v its compitnsi, bt it z nt wɖt mīnz or rsponsbiḷti.” Ɖ frst instñt wz t clos bordrz, hōrd iqipmnt n asmbl naśnl rsponsz. In tîmz v scerṣti it imrjd evri prsn wz fr ɖmslf, n Iṭli flt most left t itslf.
Bt ɖ dspyt hz wîdnd intu an ugli batl btwn norʈ n sǎʈ Yṛp ovr ɖ iśụns v comn dét, or ɖ cndiśnz ɖt cd b set fr eni credit iśùd bî ɖ yrozon beilǎt fund. Ɖ Duć n Jrmnz sspct Iṭli z yzñ ɖ crîsis in Lombdi t rībrand ɖ rjctd consept v yrobondz in ẃć ɖ norʈ fnansz ɖ déts v ɖ féclis sǎʈ. Ɖ Itałn prîm ministr, Jsepi Conte, z pśñ ɖ iśu, telñ ɖ blóc “it hz an apôntmnt wɖ hisṭri”. F ɖ YY felz, it cd fōl apart, h hz wornd.
Ɖ Porćgīz prîm ministr, António Costa, spouc v “dsgustñ” n “peti” coments bî ɖ Duć ministr Vopca Hrcstra, ẃl ɖ Spaniś foṛn ministr, Aranća Gonzālez, wundrd ẃɖr ɖ Duć unḍstd ɖt “a frst-clas cabin wd nt pṛtct y ẃn ɖ hol śip sncs”.
Ɖ formr Itałn prîm ministr Enrico Leța hz bn sceɖñ abt Duć rzistns t hlpñ Iṭli, telñ ɖ Duć pres ɖt ɖ Itałn vy v ɖ Neɖrḷndz hz bn sirịsli damijd: “It dd nt hlp ɖt a de aftr Jrmn custmz-ofiślz stopt a hyj amǎnt v mascs at ɖ bordr, Ruśn trucs cariyñ rlif s’plîz drouv ʈru ɖ strīts v Rom n miłnz v mascs wr snt fṛm Ćîna. Mațeo Salvini z wêtñ fr ɖs tîp v ax́n fṛm ɖ Neɖrḷndz n Jrṃni so ɖt h cn se: y si, w hv no ys fr ɖ Yṛpiyn Yńn.”
Ɖ YY’z pziśn z nt iritriṿbl. Salvini’z cloźr ajnda hz nt yt faund its ftñ, sins Conte’z popylaṛti dz nt mc ɖ prîm ministr an īzi targit. Conte hz bcm ɖ sngl most popylr līdr in ɖ hisṭri v ɖ Itałn rpublic. Indivijl Jrmn poḷtiśnz, sć az Marịn Vnt, hv olso undun sm v ɖ damij bî orġnîzñ fr a grūp v Itałnz t b floun fṛm Bergamo t C’lon fr trītmnt.
Bt wɖ ɖ deʈtol mǎntñ acrs Yṛp, n ɖ crîsis jst startñ t peṇtret Africa, ɖ YY discors so far hz bn doṃnetd bî an uneḍfayñ n hîli tecnicl rǎ abt hǎ t fund ɖ YY’z ic̣nomic resk.
Yṛp’s ćīf solis z t lc acrs ɖ Atlantic n woć ɖ dêli ceos ɖt z Doṇld Trump’s īvnñ presconfṛns – ɖ dêli rmîndr ɖt raṣ́nl ppl cn plan fr enʈñ, xpt an iraśnl prezidnt. Naṭli Toći, an advîzr t Yosep Borél, ɖ YY foṛn aferz ćīf, wundrz ẃɖr, mć lîc ɖ 1956 Suiz crîsis simḅlîzd ɖ ultiṃt dce v ɖ YC’z globl pǎr, c’roṇvîṛs cd marc ɖ “Suiz momnt” fr ɖ YS.
Borél himslf insists ɖ YY z fîndñ its fīt aftr a roci start n ɖ ces fr cooṗreśn z biyñ wún. Raitñ in Project Sindc̣t, h clemz: “Aftr a frst fêz v dvrjñ naśnl dsiźnz, w r nǎ enṭrñ a fêz v cnvrjns in ẃć ɖ YY tecs sntr stej. Ɖ wrld iniṣ́li met ɖ crîsis in an uncoorḍnetd faśn, wɖ tù mni cuntriz ignorñ ɖ wornñsînz n gwñ it alon. It z nǎ clir ɖt ɖ onli we ǎt v it z tgɖr.”H me b pruvd rît, bt at ɖ momnt ɖ scelz r īvnli baḷnst. Ɖr z, az yt, a wrld stl t b wún.
