The Contradictions of COVID-19 and the Persistence of Western Hegemony

Abstract

Crises brought about by COVID-19 have provided us with a key set of observations about global power in an era where international relations scholars are close to coming to a consensus in acknowledging the decline of Western and specifically American hegemony. This paper adopts a decolonial approach to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on international politics. It argues that throughout much of the Western world, COVID-19 has marked one of the first unexpected encounters with death that populations have faced since World War II and the pre-poliomyelitis vaccine era. As a result, global health policies mandated by the WHO have been articulated in favour of the West. Statistical analysis of death tolls brought about by COVID-19, numerous other infectious diseases and viruses along with associated geographic patterns reveal that quarantine and lockdown policies were carried out at the expense and wellbeing of much of the developing world. Contrary to popular contemporary arguments that contend the international liberal order is in decline, the emergence of COVID-19 and subsequent global health policy responses have demonstrated that Western hegemony and soft power are still salient.

Heidegger and the Technocratic Warping of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…On the economic front, ascholarly article I wrote in 2020 at the height of the pandemic made a bold prediction that appears to be coming true right before our eyes if we consider ongoing increases in energy prices and global supply chain problems. In Anisin (2021), I predicted thatAbove all, the concern is not driven by the virus itself, but due to the networks of trade and associated livelihoods of economic exchange. These catastrophic consequences are not random, but are directly attributed to the WHO and its COVID-19 policies.…”

“…Less than 0.001% of these projected fatalities will be brought about by the actual virus of COVID-19, and instead, tens, if not hundreds of millions will die due to policies aimed at limiting COVID-19’s lethality for populations in the West. (Anisin, 2021)…”

“…Less than 0.001% of these projected fatalities will be brought about by the actual virus of COVID-19, and instead, tens, if not hundreds of millions will die due to policies aimed at limiting COVID-19's lethality for populations in the West. (Anisin, 2021) What's more, as a result of wide-reaching pandemic policies and regulations, some countries, such as Japan, actually experienced a decrease in all-cause mortality in 2020 by 20,982 total deaths, which is a 1.7% drop in relation to the historical baseline (Onozuka et al, 2021). Such findings may appear to be positive and lead one to ask, "How can a drop in overall fatality rates (from all causes) in a year be interpreted as a negative outcome?"…”