Democracy and International Society on Trial in Times of Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19, which perished the lives of more than three million people within one and a half year, has opened our eyes to a unprecedent threat to human society at the time of globalization. People have been forced to review the situation of one’s own country in comparison with other countries, based on the globalized information network. Is their government doing all right? How about the medical care and vaccine policy? Can they get enough economic and social support? In mid-2021, several groups of countries are highly appreciated for their success to contain the pandemic: China or China model, the Developmental States in East Asia, i.e. South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, and the social democratic countries, especially led by women leaders, such as New Zealand, Iceland, Denmark and Taiwan. In contrast, the countries with the strong leadership of “neoliberal nationalism” and/or “illiberal democracy” have not been quite successful, such as the United States under President Donald Trump, the United Kingdom of the BREXIT cabinet as well as influential developing countries, i.e. India, the Philippines, Brazil and Turkey. Thomas R. Oliver argued the significance of Politics of Public Health to meet the crisis of pandemic, as Anthony Giddens proposed Politics of Climate Change. Probably, it is the right time for us to question the relevancy of our states and international society to secure the lives and welfare of ordinary people.