COVID-19 Blog


As the coronavirus rages on, an important question arises: should western countries aid the so-called "third world," particularly Africa, in combating the pandemic? I believe the answer is no, for two main reasons.

My first objection is rather obvious: the United States currently has more confirmed COVID cases than all of Africa combined, and it isn't close. There are several possible explanations, including the warmer weather, but the exact reason isn't necessarily relevant. After a domestic coronavirus response which can only be described as a disaster of earth-shattering proportions, who are we to go on an international health crusade? There are millions of vulnerable Americans who are currently unable to receive adequate care. Our resources need to be going to them first, not abroad, and most certainly not to parasitic, too-big-to-fail corporations.

My second objection: when was America's last successful large-scale international intervention, violent or otherwise? The reality of the matter is that our track record internationally is not good. In my view, it is just a bit ridiculous to expect the people of Africa, or any non-western country, to welcome our aid with open arms. If history teaches us anything, we must recognize that American aid does not always come with pure intentions. Over the past decade, China has been coercing initially welcoming African countries with insurmountable debt accrued through exceedingly generous loans and investments. Under any other circumstances, most would recognize this sort of "generosity" as what it is: debt-trapping imperialism. It is not excusable when our country does the same, even (or especially) in the midst of a global pandemic.

Comments

Cricket Wier said…
I'm going to be honest, Jadyn, I was surprised to hear that you were saying this. I honestly didn't expect this (not a diss, just genuinely surprised). I personally disagree. While I understand how previous aid from western nations had been with imperialist and colonialist intentions, and drastic, hurtful affects, I think that it is the responsibility for Western nations to provide financial support to developing countries in need within the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The donation of money is not only out of good will, but it is also an investment into making sure that there isn't a reassurgence of the virus from areas like specific poor countries in Africa that lacked the facillities and technology needed to contain it. Plus, while developed, Western nations such as the U.S., seem to e suffering the most, our economy is strong and will be able to bounce back. That however, is not true for poorer countries, and my fear is that the coronavirus pandemic could permanently crippled their economy, and even cause developmental regression.
Your Love, Cricket <3
March 27, 2020 at 1:41 PM
Charlie McGill said…
Although you bring up some good points about American interventionism and the harm we've caused around the world, I think coronavirus is an extenuating circumstance where I will support an intervention. This is for two reasons: first, since much of Africa is in the southern hemisphere, they won't begin to see a rise in coronavirus cases until we begin our decline. That means that if Africa, where there is horrible healthcare infrastructure, can't contain coronavirus within the first week, it could return to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. This would mean a second wave of deaths and a second economic collapse, which will lead to more corporate bailouts without any strings attached. It is in our national interest and Africas interest to see us intervene. Second, any money we send to them will likely be through the UN and the WHO, which means we won't make deals such as the belt and road initiative that preys on Africas economic instability. Although I agree with you that most of the time American interventions end horribly for the other country, COVID-19 creates a situation where rich countries and Africa alike will be forced to give and accept aid.
March 27, 2020 at 1:55 PM
Connor Morley said…
I agree with Jadyn. Why should we, much less should we expect, and outpouring of support to African nations? In almost every African country that I've read about before, corruption either was, or continues to be, a major problem, and it's not unheard of for African leaders to steal money either from their own nation's supply or from international support. I'd say air on the side of caution with this one.
March 27, 2020 at 10:06 PM
Persi Fossi said…
I actually agree with Jadyn, too. It seems like she may have an unpopular opinion, but at the moment the majority of these cases are affecting the United States, Europe, and China. These are all areas that have easy access to widespread travel, and in some of these areas, especially Europe, people tend to be culturally very touchy (I'm looking at the Italians here), which gives no aid in stopping the virus. While African countries have been affected, my guess is that many of them are more worried about the gigantic swarm of locusts terrorizing their crops than a virus that does not seem to have spread throughout the country (however we may not know until there is better testing). At the moment, we do have a bad track record and we probably should keep more to ourselves while we fight all of this off. I don't know that we can really afford to be worrying about other countries first when we can't even get adequate testing for regular people, and enough medical supplies for hospitals. Additionally, we have offered to help some countries, especially China, and were brushed off. Even if we are being sincere, this could come off as an attempt at soft power or leveraging, and a lot of countries might be wary of us due to our past. We may consider China our enemy, but many countries may think of us as the enemy
March 30, 2020 at 8:06 AM
Liam O'Gorman said…
PSA, this was written by Liam, not Jadyn. Don't quite understand why everyone thought that. Thank you for the responses!
March 30, 2020 at 11:55 AM
Jadyn Cleary said…
Yeah guys... this isn't my blog lol
March 30, 2020 at 1:07 PM
Unknown said…
I object to your objections.

Objection 1: The article doesn't advocate that developed nations provide aid before dealing with domestic issues. It argues that once developed nations deal with the issue in their own countries, they must help combat the virus in developing nations or else it will explode and inevitably re-emerge in developed nations, wasting their effort.

Objection 2: The article provides multiple solutions to the national imperialism issue, explaining how individual countries can provide aid indirectly through NGO's and IGO's like the WHO and the UN. Maybe you'd still consider this imperialism, but I think its quite a few steps above direct US involvement.

Yes, it would be absurd to give away resources if we at the time need them the most. And yes, foreign involvement with unequal power balances can lead to unequal deals. But who wants that? When you object to the US giving away resources it can't afford to lose, who's advocating that? I certainly don't think its the article's author. Even if some people do exist who might have it done badly, you stated plainly that we should not aid nations with weak medical systems in the face of a pandemic. I'm sure being under imperialism is disenfranchising for a nation, but so is bearing the brunt of a virus outbreak underfunded and unaided.

Final note: The article uses "rich/developed" and "developing," I'm curious why you decided to use western and third-world, especially considering you specifically mentioned China as I guess a western country.
March 30, 2020 at 2:24 PM
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