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Introduction
Over the last several decades, governments have collectively pledged to slow global warming. But despite intensified diplomacy, the world is already facing the consequences of climate…
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Virtual Roundtable: The Role of Trust in Pandemic PreparednessNumerous research studies point to the outsized role that trust has played in the COVID-19 pandemic. Public compliance with expert recommendations for social distancing, mask wearing, school closures, and vaccinations have been linked to the perceived trustworthiness of government, its agencies, and other citizens. In this Council on Foreign Relations roundtable, Dr. Margaret Levi and Dr. Michael Bang Petersen discuss the role of trust in current and future COVID-19 crisis response and what governments can do to build trust before the next health emergency emerges—as it inevitably will.
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Japan Has Weathered COVID-19 Better Than Many, but Problems PersistTwo years into the pandemic, Japan has proven more effective than the United States and European countries at managing outbreaks. Still, the Japanese public has criticized government efforts, and two prime ministers have stepped down.
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Virtual Roundtable: School Closures and COVID-19Pandemic-related school closures have affected more than 50 million K-12 students in the United States. These disruptions created substantial challenges for parents and impacted children’s learning and social wellbeing. It has been said that pandemic-related closures may have resulted in significant learning loss that could deepen existing educational and income inequalities. The COVID-19 School Data Hub, the brainchild of Brown Professor of Economics Emily Oster, attempts to assess these impacts. Speakers discuss the data and how the United States can address the tremendous learning loss and education inequality exacerbated by COVID-19.
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Growing Up and Moving Out: The Critical Link Between Health and MigrationMigration is seen as the product of desperate circumstances, but increasingly it is the byproduct of success—improved child survival followed by a booming young-adult population.
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Where Has COVID-19 Contact Tracing Worked?As part of global efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, health officials have tried a variety of contact-tracing strategies in countries around the world. Some have been success stories; others have been flops, as governments struggled to get buy-in from the public or shore up the resources needed for comprehensive tracing. Here are five countries’ experiences with contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Renewing America Series: Public Health as a Public Good—What's at Stake?The COVID-19 pandemic amplified health disparities and renewed conversations about the limitations of current public health systems after decades of disinvestment. Panelists explore the idea of reframing public health as a public good to drive investment, modernization, and encourage better coordination across health systems. With its Renewing America initiative, CFR is evaluating nine critical domestic issues that shape the ability of the United States to navigate a demanding, competitive, and dangerous world.
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Data's Role in Preventing the Next PandemicOver the past fifteen years, global health has been threatened by Ebola epidemics in West Africa, the emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the spread of Zika through the Americas,and the 2009 influenza pandemic. The tolls of each event have been exacerbated by inadequate data systems. Ongoing struggles to track the global spread of COVID-19 demonstrate the need to fix problems in existing surveillance for infectious diseases.
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Year Three: The Pandemic ContinuesAs we enter year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, three leading global health experts examine how the United States and the world have dealt with the evolving situation, the lessons learned, and the way forward.
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The World Still Hasn’t Agreed on a Pandemic PlaybookFor two years, the world has been battling COVID-19 with masks, vaccines, and lockdowns. There have been impressive results and serious missteps, but countries have failed to channel their shared experiences into a blueprint for action.
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The COVID-19 Pandemic and China's Global Health Leadership
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China's ambitions for global health leadership are faltering as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. The country's mixed record of addressing the virus offers opportunities for U.S. global health leadership, writes Yanzhong Huang. -
Reporting on the Omicron Variant and COVID-19 TestingJennifer Nuzzo, CFR senior fellow for global health, provides an overview on the COVID-19 omicron variant and information about testing. Shalina Chatlani, healthcare reporter for the Gulf States News…
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A Look at Afghanistan’s Humanitarian CrisisMillions of Afghans are struggling to survive after crucial foreign aid was halted due to the Taliban’s takeover. Images from Afghanistan show a catastrophe in a country already traumatized by decades of war.
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Vaccine Equity and Global Economic RecoveryPanelists discuss global vaccine distribution efforts, the barriers to achieving vaccine equity, and what this means for global economic recovery.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the Military Is a Manageable ChallengeThe military has vaccinated the vast majority of service members, but pockets of hesitancy remain. What’s driving the reluctance, and what should be done to overcome it?
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Five Good Foreign Policy News Stories in 2021As 2021 comes to a close, here are five positive stories on the foreign policy front that happened in the past year.
