The Pandemic’s Big Sort
As with every global crisis, the race is on to determine which political systems will emerge stronger from the pandemic, and which will be discredited by their response to it. But if the past is any guide, it is too early to make such judgements, because the real test for competing systems is yet to come.
PRINCETON – Political systems live on competition. Political incumbents and aspirants are constantly claiming that they can manage problems better than their rivals can. Modern wars of ideas, political projects, and systems of organization are merely updated versions of older forms of combat.