The Day after COVID-19: Capacity, Governance and Order

Introduction 

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic revitalized the debate on the long-awaited transformation of the international order. Pessimists foresee that a leaderless, chaotic paradigm will fall into place, eventually sealing the end of U.S.-led rules-based, liberal international order and marking the return of national sovereignty with a vengeance. Though optimism is waning, the courageous express the possibility of a post-corona cooperative order built on the principle that global challenges entail global solutions and that the growing great power rivalry will be modified to focus on the common good. In between, national leaders still strive to maintain their conventional tactical attempts to prevail in conflicts with rival nations, curtail national deficiencies via magnifying partial successes in coping with the outbreak, and demoralizing adversaries through recrimination and misinformation. Quintessentially, the latter attempt to deflect responsibility not only signifies the apprehension to uphold the status quo but also preempts rivals to secure prospective stakes in the looming restructuring of the world order.