These leaders get it exactly right. We cannot deal with some of the biggest challenges without at least a modicum of international cooperation. At the height of the pandemic, the failure to agree on an expansion of the IMF´´ s lending capacity was shameful. The ongoing tussle over vaccine supplies is also becoming embarrassing. Dealing with cybersecurity and global warming will require much greater ability to collaborate on a global scale. The time to start on that is now.

Advanced countries are spending 10% of GDP or more in their anti-crisis packages. Poor countries need to spend at least a fraction of that, but they simply do not have the resources. The gap between high- and low- income nations has never been so wide and so painful. After all the rhetoric about standing together against a common enemy, the world must stand put its money where its mouth is. The opportunity to do so is the Global Health Pledging Conference on May 4.

Try the following exercise. In your comment, substitute Donald Trump for populism. It would read like this: You have to laugh when the election of Donald Trump is endlessly described or implied as being a negative event. It is simply a valid democratic outcome due to voters expressing a view. Criticise Trump and you criticise democracy. Now, would you agree?