The success of the next U.S. administration depends on how it handles the public health and economic emergency, at home and abroad.
The most urgent problems the U.S. president will face in January are the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic collapse it precipitated. This crisis has left no part of the world untouched—and the success of the next administration will depend on how it handles the recovery both at home and abroad.
With COVID-19 case numbers in the United States climbing toward a new peak, the health crisis is far from over. Joshua M. Sharfstein and Georges C. Benjamin call on U.S. leaders to depoliticize public health; Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker argue that the country needs near-complete shutdowns to keep the virus under control until the arrival of a vaccine. And Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala notes that vaccine development is not the end—COVID-19 will remain a threat until the whole world has access to immunization.
The road to global economic recovery will be a long one, too, Carmen Reinhart and Vincent Reinhart write—made more difficult by how widespread the damage is. Mariana Mazzucato argues that governments must take this opportunity to build more sustainable economies out of the wreckage.
An effective crisis response must address the vulnerabilities that the pandemic has exposed. Andrew S. Natsios considers how to track the next outbreak of disease, wherever in the world it occurs; Shannon K. O'Neil discusses how to make global supply chains pandemic-proof. To weather the next shock, the United States needs a grand strategy focused on resilience, Ganesh Sitaraman argues. To first get through this one, Nicholas Burns writes, the United States must recognize the importance of leadership and global cooperation. This special election coverage is made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Subscribe Today and Save 55% New Subscribers Get a Free eBook |
