Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World

September 15, 2020
The CNN host and bestselling author delivers a pithy roundup of some of the inevitable global changes that will follow the current pandemic. Examining issues both obvious and subtler, Zakaria sets out how and why the world has changed forever. The speed with which the Covid-19 virus spread around the world was shocking, and the fallout has been staggering. In fact, writes the author, "it may well turn out that this viral speck will cause the greatest economic, political, and social damage to humankind since World War II." The U.S., in particular, was exposed as woefully unprepared, as government leadership failed to deliver a clear, practical message, and the nation's vaunted medical institutions were caught flat-footed: "Before the pandemic...Americans might have taken solace in the country's great research facilities or the huge amounts of money spent on health care, while forgetting about the waste, complexity and deeply unequal access that mark it as well." While American leaders wasted months denying the seriousness of Covid-19 and ignoring the advice of medical experts, other countries--e.g., South Korea, New Zealand, and Taiwan--acted swiftly and decisively, underscoring one of the author's main themes and second lesson: "What matters is not the quantity of government but the quality." Discussing how "markets are not enough," the author astutely shoots down the myth that throwing money at the problem can fix the situation; as such, he predicts a swing toward more socialist-friendly policies. Zakaria also delves into the significance of the digital economy, the resilience of cities (see the success of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taipei in suppressing the virus), the deepening of economic inequality around the world, how the pandemic has exacerbated the rift between China and the U.S. (and will continue to do so), and why "people should listen to the experts--and experts should listen to the people." A cleareyed, concise look at current and future affairs offering pertinent points to reflect and debate.

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September 21, 2020
In this scattershot treatise, CNN host Zakaria (The Post-American World) gleans lessons from the Covid-19 outbreak on how society, politics, and international relations could and should evolve. In the book’s strongest sections, Zakaria argues that America needs a less fragmented and gridlocked government bureaucracy to cope with health threats, and he calls for more honesty and empathy from scientists, and foresees accelerated migration of work and life onto the internet. Other points seem tangential to the virus (the rise of robots and artificial intelligence to displace humans), or rehash Zakaria’s already well-articulated stances (he spends many pages defending globalization and multilateralism against Trumpian nationalism). He anthropomorphizes Covid-19 as “nature’s revenge” for overpopulation and human environmental encroachments, and suggests that “promoting healthier diets” will help to prevent the next pandemic. Zakaria also disparages America’s Covid-19 response by cherry-picking the statistic that by July 2020 “per-capita daily death rates in the United States were ten times higher than in Europe,” without noting that the continent’s outbreak peaked earlier, with similarly high death rates in multiple countries. This less-than-cogent analysis of the coronavirus pandemic leaves much to be desired.

Starred review from October 15, 2020
About the only kind of life anyone can imagine in a post-pandemic world is one that looks exactly like the life they led in the pre-pandemic one, a time with actual family gatherings and visits with friends, a time without Zoom meetings or face masks. Sadly, that reset-redo option is not available, so political scientist and journalist Zakaria takes a realistic look at what life after COVID-19 can become. His lessons focus on everything from economic and social inequality to national isolationism versus international globalization to the role of experts as both purveyors and gatherers of information. Understanding how citizens on every continent found themselves vulnerable to the new corona virus is an important foundation for determining how humanity can be more prepared when the next pandemic hits, because there will be a next one. What can governments, economic institutions, health care providers, educators, and corporations do to realistically come to grips with the changes this pandemic is causing and find opportunities to turn this painful experience into social reforms. In clear, measured tones, Zakaria presents the many consequences of this pandemic and offers innovative, logical, and considered options for how to emerge from this crisis and future challenges with more resilience and strength.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

February 26, 2021

Journalist and political commentator Zakaria (In Defense of a Liberal Education) ponders what the world might look like beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The author gains insights by analyzing political and cultural responses to major historical events like the Spanish flu and World War I, as well as the early responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he uses them to illustrate myriad opportunities to improve quality of life. Zakaria warns of negative outcomes if improvements are not made to the systems we rely on, like health care and policymaking, and offers solutions that will have a positive impact. The economic, cultural, and political threats Zakaria warns of are alarming, but they are impressively balanced with his sense of hope and a reminder of the resilience of the world. A page-turning read with great depth, the author's lessons for a post-pandemic world shine light on the unavoidable, pressing issues and inequalities facing the world, which must be addressed, especially as more pandemics will occur in the future. VERDICT Zakaria's intelligent, deeply considered ideas for learning from a list of ten post-pandemic lessons will be of interest to readers who are engaged with current global affairs or are concerned with what the future might look like.--Rich McIntyre Jr., UConn Health Sciences Lib., Farmington

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