General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe U.S. and U.K. Were the Two Best Prepared Nations to Tackle a Pandemic--What Went Wrong?
You read that correctly. The two countries that on paper were the best prepared to deal with a pandemic turned out by June 2020 to be two of the worlds biggest failures in tackling COVID-19. With 122,300 excess deathsthe number of deaths over and above what would be expected in non-crisis conditionsthe U.S. ranks number 1 on this metric. In second place, with 65,700 excess deaths, is the U.K.
Theres a reason the scorecard got it so wrong: It did not account for the political context in which a national policy response to a pandemic is formulated and implemented.
There is an eerie similarity in the appalling political decisions made by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnsontwo right wing illiberal populist leaders who believed their nations were invulnerable, generally rejected science, and turned inwards and away from multilateralism. Their parallel decisions consigned many of their citizens to the grave.
Even before COVID-19 hit, Trump and Johnson had devalued the importance of public health investment and degraded their national pandemic preparedness capabilities.
https://time.com/5861697/us-uk-failed-coronavirus-response/
Obama saw it coming. Trump ignored the threat and went golfing. Tell me who again makes America safer?
chowder66
(9,074 posts)...and this.
Initech
(100,087 posts)It's almost like it's a genetic trait that psychopathic leaders with ego complexes are destined for bad hair cuts.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)erronis
(15,307 posts)anything at all, he actually scores high marks for causing more fatalities per case. Bravo, Bolsonaro!
Between the despots, diktators, and wannabe emperors, the rw crowd exceeds all expectations.
Oh, let's not forget putin who probably has worse numbers ---- just can't get honest answers out of the USSR right now.
Initech
(100,087 posts)But Bolsonaro might be the absolute worst of the worst. Hell, I would rank him high in the running among the worst world leaders of all time.
coti
(4,612 posts)Are you SHITTING me? What the fuck kind of question is that?
How is literally EVERYTHING going wrong right now? It's called having a traitorous narcissist and full-time bullshitter in the White House.
BannonsLiver
(16,403 posts)malaise
(269,093 posts)Global Health Security Index is mostly Western Propaganda. They have completely ignored the impact of depleting health care funds on public health.
Love them or hate them, the best public health in our hemisphere is in Cuba. Canada is pretty good as well. Parts of Europe are light years ahead of Britain.
Trenzalore
(2,331 posts)Right wing populism thrives on the uneducated. The uneducated have a strong distrust of science because they got a d in it in middle school.
erronis
(15,307 posts)I'd like to say that the KGB guy is the mastermind, but I think even he can't beat the plutocrats/oligarchs. International crime and extortion.