As countries around the world struggle to contain the raging COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, legendary former US statesman and ex-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger predicts troubled times for the global economy, the Daily Mail reports citing his op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal.
According to the newspaper, Kissinger praised the White House for doing a "solid job in avoiding immediate catastrophe", noting that the US government now has to work efficiently in order to stop the viral threat, and claiming that "when the Covid-19 pandemic is over, many countries’ institutions will be perceived as having failed".
"Whether this judgement is objectively fair is irrelevant. The reality is the world will never be the same after the coronavirus", he wrote.
Kissinger further suggested that the US should step up its efforts in searching for the cure for the coronavirus, as well as to aid in rebuilding the global economy and to “protect the 'liberal world order'“.
"We need to develop new techniques and technologies for infection control and commensurate vaccines across large populations", the ex-Secretary of State advised. "Cities, states and regions must consistently prepare to protect their people from pandemics through stockpiling, cooperative planning and exploration at the frontiers of science".
He also pointed at the need to "heal the wounds to the world economy", arguing that special programs should be implemented to help those most affected by the shutdown caused by the pandemic.
Also, Kissinger insisted that "the principles of the liberal world order need to be protected", and that “an enlightened government believes it should provide 'security, order, economic well-being, and justice”, the newspaper adds.
"The pandemic has prompted an anachronism, a revival of the walled city in an age when prosperity depends on global trade and movement of people", he stated. "The world’s democracies need to defend and sustain their Enlightenment values. A global retreat from balancing power with legitimacy will cause the social contract to disintegrate both domestically and internationally".