How COVID-19 Reshapes New World Order: Political Economy Perspective (Contributions to International Relations)

This timely book explores economic, political, social, and cultural impacts of the COVID-19. It aims to reveal a future world shaped by the worldwide pandemic. The main content of this book is divided into 5 parts: the pandemic—a short sketch of the pandemic through 2020, the acceleration of the global power transition: from East to West, comparison between authoritarian and democratic in the pandemic era, global international organizations under the COVID-19 influence, and regional international organizations under the COVID-19 influence. In addition, this book also analyzes the impacts from two aspects: the changes of the world order and the repercussions for international organizations and globalization. Three questions will be focused: How the pandemic has changed the existing world order? What the new post-pandemic world order will be? How international cooperation has been affected and will be affected? This book is a comprehensive study that investigates the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the political implication on international organizations. It would not only inspire readers to think about impacts of the outbreak of COVID-19 from economic and political perspectives, but also encourage readers to have a deeper understanding of the global political pattern and potential changes of world order after the pandemic. Therefore, the intended readership not only includes the academics but also includes pro-academics. The academic audiences include university and college scholars (especially those majoring in history, political sciences, economics, and international relations), teachers, and administrative staff at the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. levels, as well as study centers and research institutes and campus and public libraries. The pro-academic groups include civil servants, especially scholarly bureaucrats and technocrats; white collar and middle-class citizens interested in reading, especially those interested in and concerned about current affairs; and international business elites. The most important feature of this book is that it points out the COVID-19 pandemic has been shaping the world order. It also shows in the coming post-pandemic world, the United States would maintain the position of superpower while the still rising China is likely to share some responsibilities in constructing a new multi-polar world with US and other powers. The prevailing of unilateralism will heavily constrain the role of international organizations. Preface Contents 1 Unprecedented Times: The COVID-19 Pandemic that Swept the World 1.1 COVID-19: A Short Sketch of the Pandemic Through 2020 1.2 How the Pandemic Changed the World 1.3 How State Actors and Nonstate Actors Reacted to the Pandemic 1.3.1 State Actors: Different Measures in Authoritarian and Democratic Countries 1.3.2 Regional Cooperation: Will the EU Successfully Lead European Integration? 1.3.3 International Cooperation: The Role of the WHO References 2 The Acceleration of the Global Power Transition: From West to East 2.1 A Short Overview of Major Epidemics in a Historical Context 2.1.1 Plague of Athens (431–404 BC) 2.1.2 Plague of Justinian (541–549 AD) 2.1.3 The Black Death (1347–1352) 2.1.4 New World Smallpox Outbreak (1400s–1600s) 2.1.5 The Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919 2.2 Performances of China and the U.S. in the Battle Against COVID-19 2.3 New “Suez Moment”: The Precipitous Loss of America’s Global Leadership 2.4 China’s Challenge to a US-Led World Order in the Post Pandemic World 2.5 Easternization? A Global Power Shift from the West to the East References 3 Comparison Between Authoritarian and Democratic Countries in the Pandemic Era 3.1 Crisis Management in Authoritarian States and Democratic States 3.1.1 What Is Crisis Management? 3.1.2 How the Relationship Between the Government and Civil Society Influences Crisis Management 3.2 Human Security and the Pandemic 3.2.1 Rethinking Human Security in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic 3.2.2 The Relationship Between Human Security and Political Institutions 3.3 Authoritarianism Versus Democracy: Which Is an Effective Remedy for the Pandemic 3.3.1 The Differences Between Authoritarian and Democratic Responses 3.3.2 Authoritarianism Pandemic and the Eclipse of Democracy 3.3.3 The Likely Resilience of Democracy 3.4 Conclusion: Which Regime Type Is More Effective? References 4 Global International Organizations Under the COVID-19 Influence 4.1 The United Nations 4.1.1 The U.N.’s Challenge Under Trump’s Presidency 4.1.2 Does the U.N. Lack a Coordinated Response to the Pandemic? 4.1.3 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Are Under Threat 4.1.4 Calling for the Support for the U.N. 4.2 WHO 4.2.1 The Fading Prestige of the WHO 4.2.2 The Withdrawal of the U.S. from the WHO 4.2.3 Do We Still Need the WHO? 4.2.4 Will the COVAX Scheme from WHO Become Successful? 4.3 WTO 4.3.1 WTO Is Threatened by the COVID-19 Pandemic 4.3.2 WTO Is Threatened by Populist Nationalism 4.3.3 Could the WTO Deal with Trade Protectionism in the Post Pandemic Era? 4.3.4 The Imperative of WTO Reforms References 5 Regional International Organizations Under the COVID-19 Influence 5.1 Europe Union 5.1.1 Insufficient Coordination Among EU Members During the Crisis 5.1.2 Crisis Thinking and Limitations Exposed When Measures Were Implemented 5.2 NATO 5.2.1 The Positive Role of NATO 5.2.2 Epidemics and Internal Problems Faced by NATO 5.3 ASEAN 5.3.1 Existing Shortcomings and Efforts by the ASEAN 5.3.2 The Causes of Adverse Effects and Future Focus References 6 Concluding Remarks 6.1 New Challenges Posed by COVID-19 6.2 COVID-19 and the New World Order References This timely book explores economic, political, social, and cultural impacts of the COVID-19. It aims to reveal a future world shaped by the worldwide pandemic. The main content of this book is divided into 5 parts: the pandemic's short sketch of the pandemic through 2020, the acceleration of the global power transition: from East to West, comparison between authoritarian and democratic in the pandemic era, global international organizations under the COVID-19 influence, and regional international organizations under the COVID-19 influence. In addition, this book also analyzes the impacts from two aspects: the changes of the world order and the repercussions for international organizations and globalization. Three questions will be focused: How the pandemic has changed the existing world order? What the new post-pandemic world order will be? How international cooperation has been affected and will be affected? This book is a comprehensive study that investigates the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the political implication on international organizations. It would not only inspire readers to think about impacts of the outbreak of COVID-19 from economic and political perspectives, but also encourage readers to have a deeper understanding of the global political pattern and potential changes of world order after the pandemic. Therefore, the intended readership not only includes the academics but also includes pro-academics. The academic audiences include university and college scholars (especially those majoring in history, political sciences, economics, and international relations), teachers, and administrative staff at the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and Ph. D. levels, as well as study centers and research institutes and campus and public libraries. The pro-academic groups include civil servants, especially scholarly bureaucrats and technocrats; white collar and middle-class citizens interested in reading, especially those interested in and concerned about current affairs; and international business elites. The most important feature of this book is that it points out the COVID-19 pandemic has been shaping the world order. It also shows in the coming post-pandemic world, the United States would maintain the position of superpower while the still rising China is likely to share some responsibilities in constructing a new multi-polar world with US and other powers. The prevailing of unilateralism will heavily constrain the role of international organizations