Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World

I had never read a book by Fareed Zakaria prior reading this one and I was suitably impressed by a book that draws inferences for tomorrow from the COVID- 19 pandemic that ravaged the world. Zakaria reveals that the idea of the book germinated as a simple list on the long and short term societal effects of COVID 19 during the pandemic. Building on his simplistic list Zakaria has conjured a book that is thought-provoking and rich in argument. As the title reveals, the book is about lessons for a post-pandemic world. The book is divided into ten chapters and each chapter is devoted to one lesson.

Lesson1 – “Buckle up”. Human societies have been hurtling down the road of progress while throwing caution to the wind and we have not invested adequately in safety nets that protect us from so-called Black Swan events such as COVID 19. Our resource driven quest for economic and scientific advancement has altered the ecological balance of Planet Earth. The direct consequence of this upheaval will be increasing instances such as COVID-19. Our only refuge is rethinking our traditional myopic local approaches with global responses built on balancing dynamism with safety.

Lesson 2 – “ What matters is not the quantity of government but the quality”. Zakaria examines the varied governmental responses to COVID 19 and argues that governance quality always trumps quantity. He highlights the failure of governance in the U.S to provide healthcare to the masses. He posits that the convoluted anti-statist federal structure of U.S with each level of governance serving as check and balance hinders governance. Federal governance structures will always be challenged in responding to national challenges.

Lesson 3- “Markets are not enough”. Market centric thinking has invaded human lives leaving very little space for other values like fairness, equality or intrinsic value. There are limits to consumerism and government interfaces are essential in certain foundational social requirements such as healthcare. Zakaria, highlights the governance of Scandinavian countries as a model of balance of nuanced socialism and market driven economy versus aggressive capitalism of the U.S.

Lesson 4 – “Listen to the experts and the people”. The world has got increasingly complicated and there is a need for more experts rather than lesser. The challenges of the 21st century cannot be addressed by policy maker and leaders being driven by hunch and perception. Governance by ignorance is a recipe for disaster is adequately evidenced in the response of various governments to COVID -19.

Lesson 5 – “Life is digital”. The technological inroad of digitisation in every sphere of our lives is getting more and more integrated to human existence. The future of life has an unmistaken digital form. Mankind has to tread carefully and manage the transformational nature of this digitisation. The smarter machines become the more we are forced to question as to what is uniquely human and how do we continue to hone those essential human traits.

Lesson 6 – “Aristotle was right we are social animals”. Humans have always prospered by connecting with humans and, the advent of modern cities bears to testimony to this fundamental human trait. The real-life interpersonal relations have always been a source of meaning and happiness and shall continue to remain so. The isolation of COVID-19 has reminded and reinforced the simple but profound fact that humans as social animals.

Lesson 7 – “Inequality will get worse”. Pandemics are supposedly great equalisers as the virus does not distinguish between the poor and ‘well-heeled’ however, the healthcare post the infection does. However, COVID- 19 brought to fore the inequality between nations and communities. The commercial nature of human life will continue to aggravate these inequalities. However, if we are to build a society founded on trust where everyone will be looked after equally whenever the next pandemic strikes, we must strive to reduce inequalities of opportunity and wealth.

Lesson 8 – “ Globalisation is not dead”. The onset of the pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of global supply chains and the interconnected web of economic fortunes of nations across the globe. Scarcity of resources and nationalist fervour led to increasing clamour for build and buy local. However, globalisation of the world economy cannot be reversed and the countries that used to their advantage weathered the COVID-19 headwinds better than the rest.

Lesson 9 – “ The world is becoming bipolar”. Zakaria argues that the rise of China and the gradual but steady ceding of geostrategic space by the U.S is leading to an increasingly bipolar world. In the past, such rivalry has descended the Earth into an era of unprecedented conflict. Zakaria argues that the inevitability of a bipolar world need not necessarily mean an era of cold war. The growth of multilateralism could be an effective counter to the intense competition in a bipolar world.

Lesson 10 – “ Sometimes great realists are the idealists”. Zakaria posits that the so called liberal international order of our time is incomplete and has many faults and yet is our best bet to secure our future. The idealism underlying liberalism is simple and practical. The multidimensional problems of the world can be addressed by cooperating within the structures of multilateralism to find durable solutions

Zakaria ends his tale by borrowing from the movie, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, “ nothing is written” — postulating that fate and human agency collide in ways unimaginable and the chosen path of humanity is never written in stone. The pandemic amongst others, has created opportunities for reform, rethinking governance, nurturing multilateralism, and reimagining human life. The light of human resilience has shone through the dark times of the pandemic however, the path remains to be chosen.

A very engaging read that is well researched and offers an interesting perspective on the future of the post-pandemic world.