The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the folly of chauvinistic nationalism born of grievance and entitlement, creating an opening for a new internationalism equipped to tackle global problems. But to reopen the world and secure a safer future, people must open their minds.
CAMBRIDGE – We are almost two years into an unwanted experiment in what happens when national borders clang shut in a globally interdependent world. Cargo sits unclaimed at ports while container ships float offshore for weeks. Migrant workers are stranded. Rich countries hoard vaccines for future use when poorer ones need them immediately. What have we learned about nationalism and globalization that we can carry into a post-pandemic (if not post-COVID) future?
CAMBRIDGE – We are almost two years into an unwanted experiment in what happens when national borders clang shut in a globally interdependent world. Cargo sits unclaimed at ports while container ships float offshore for weeks. Migrant workers are stranded. Rich countries hoard vaccines for future use when poorer ones need them immediately. What have we learned about nationalism and globalization that we can carry into a post-pandemic (if not post-COVID) future?