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Could the Coronavirus Pandemic Revive International Cooperation?

New thinking, enlightened leadership, and a favorable distribution of power are necessary for a more cooperative world to emerge in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Originally published at World Politics Review

Delegates, wearing protective face masks, attend a UN Human Rights Council session during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 15, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/Reuters

By experts and staff

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  • Stewart M. Patrick
    James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program

In my weekly column for World Politics Review, I ask whether the COVID-19 pandemic could engender a turn toward greater international cooperation. 

When does a global catastrophe stimulate a revival of international cooperation, rather than accelerate fragmentation and disorder? When does a crisis become a turning point in international relations, rather than just augur more of the same? These questions loom large in the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest shock to world politics and the global economy since 1945. While history provides no definitive answers, it hints at three preconditions for resurrecting international cooperation from the ashes: new thinking, enlightened leadership and a favorable distribution of power.

Read the full World Politics Review article here.