🦠 If we draw an analogy between the mutations of the coronavirus and the mutations of the influenza virus, then from a purely logical point of view it will be necessary to say that the world is waiting for a chronic pandemic of the coronavirus, that this pandemic will always exist.

It will erupt and fade, just like flu epidemics, but it will always be.

At least until the moment when some new virus replaces Covid-19, as Covid itself has practically pushed the influenza virus out of the global population.

And if there is always an epidemic, then it is clear that introducing lockdowns forever, with each new outbreak happening 2-3 times a year, is by no means an option. Therefore, humanity must learn to live with this chronic pandemic, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/chronic-pandemic-or-how-to-deal-with-prtognoses/

#Morality_and_Law #pandemic #Covid19

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

👥🌐 Migration and migrants are now widely perceived as risks.

In many countries, anti-migration sentiments and xenophobia had for long been on the rise. This spurred a securitisation of migration and the pandemic added concerns over health security to this already strong trend.

This is fuelled by the climate crisis which has already been raising doubts over the future of extensive driving, flying and traveling as is so typical for our hyper-mobile era; the pandemic further accelerated this trend.

Also the rise of authoritarian ruling had been noticed in many parts of the world and the pandemic only spurred this trend.

It is remarkable that liberal and authoritarian states around the globe alike turned to ultra-radical policy measures and largely outlawed fundamental liberties including the right to leave one’s country, city or even home, at least temporarily, not seen since the exceptional times of martial law, the Chinese Hukou system or the Soviet era, writes Franck Düvell, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück University.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-pandemic-and-international-migration/

#Morality_and_Law #migration #migrants #pandemic

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

👥🌐 Almost two years after the spread of the coronavirus, all major social challenges and problems remain relevant.

🔹 Despite the higher mortality rate among the elderly, the aging of the population has not gone away. It continues to affect the processes in the labour market, public finances, and the slowdown in economic growth.

🔹 Technological change and the trend towards digitalisation remain with us, and have even accelerated.

🔹 The temporary reduction in migration flows due to the closure of sectors of the economy and borders only emphasised the almost invisible, but important role of migrants in safeguarding our lives.

🔹 At the same time, the pandemic showed a clear link between inequality and the magnitude of losses, not only economic or social, but also on a human scale. The phenomenon of higher mortality in countries with higher income inequality, known even before the pandemic, has received new empirical confirmation.

The coronavirus pandemic, while serving as a powerful shake-up, did not become the key to solving the accumulated social problems. High income inequality, often perceived as unfair, provokes an increase in social tension, which, in the absence of social cohesion, finds very crooked answers, writes Valdai Club expert Oksana Sinyavskaya.

🔗 The Coronavirus Pandemic: A Key to Solving Social Problems or a Catalyst for Them?

#Global_Governance #coronavirus #pandemic #society

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

💰🌐 Wither сapitalism?

There may have been doubts in the efficiency of the current market system after the 2008 global financial crisis.

The scale of excessive debt on the corporate and sovereign balance-sheets in the developed world, the lack of transparency at the micro-level of companies and the macro-level of countries’ fiscal policies called into question the virtues of the market system. And then came the pandemic and took the scale of doubts to a whole new level.

The world community is aware of the shortcomings of the current system and the debate on its transformation has been underway for years on different sides of the global political spectrum, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Yaroslav Lissovolik.

🔗 Wither Capitalism?

#Corporations_and_Economy #capitalism #pandemic

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

⚖️🌐 In 2021, the coronavirus pandemic continued to be one of the most important events.

Naturally, its influence on world politics and society remained the main focus of the Valdai Discussion Club experts.

In addition to the pandemic, the climate agenda has become the most important event of 2021. The COP-26 Summit in Glasgow in October-November was at the centre of global interest, sparking a heated debate in the world regarding the strategy and pace of green transformation. 

A separate large topic of the Club’s work was the impact of the pandemic on international migration, on the value and ethical perception of global migrants, and on the dynamics of migrant phobia in host societies.

The politics of historical memory in recent years has become one of the key topics in the expert work of the Club. Its analysis was continued this year as well.

👉 All these topics (the pandemic, climate and history) directly affect the evolution of values and moral norms in today’s global society, writes Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

🔗 Pandemic and Climate, History and Values: Results of the Valdai Club Expert Programme

#Morality_and_Law #Valdai_WrapUp2021 #pandemic #climatechange #migration

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🦠🌐 62% of the population are expected to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by August 1.

We created an infographic on global weakening of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full high-res infographics is available here.

#valdai_infographics #COVID19 #pandemic

@valdai_club