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| Coronavirus, CDC Image |
While much of the world, including not only Michel’s European Union, but also the United States of America, has degenerated into bizarre conspiracy theories and angry revolts against obviously-needed public health measures, Michel gave a calm, scientifically-based vision about the world-wide coronavirus epidemic. “Data is critical to our decision-making,” he insisted. Michel reminded the Summit that fact-based evidence is the key to defeating the coronavirus. He ignored the conspiracy theorists whose anti-public-health antics threatens to run the world’s progress right off its tracks. Instead, he looked at traditions that we often forget: sound international policy, fact-based reason, and world-wide human dignity.
Global Solutions
Michel’s first point was that the world needed “global governance for global solutions.” Many nations, including both the United States and his own nation of Belgium, sometimes fear globality. In contrast, Michel emphasized that the world’s nations need to work together to beat this terrible disease. He reminded the Summit of the disease’s horrifying toll. He pointed out how unprepared the world was to meet the challenge:
World leaders don’t like to admit that they made mistakes, but only by facing our mistakes can we learn to do better. Continuing with his theme of data-driven policy, Michel wanted to see the nations share data about how viruses spread in which populations are most likely to succumb. The world needs to share data about treatments, and, he noted, “intensive international cooperation must play a critical role.” That is why Michel noted that “we must learn and implement new ways of working.”
“New ways of working?” In a world that resists change, Michel’s idea is more radical than it seems.
Michel warned that relying on individual nations or regions to control pandemics would never be enough:
Michel’s first point was that the world needed “global governance for global solutions.” Many nations, including both the United States and his own nation of Belgium, sometimes fear globality. In contrast, Michel emphasized that the world’s nations need to work together to beat this terrible disease. He reminded the Summit of the disease’s horrifying toll. He pointed out how unprepared the world was to meet the challenge:
“COVID-19 has killed nearly five million people around the world. It also revealed that no country, not even the most developed, was prepared for such a pandemic. Despite the many predictions of scientists. The virus exposed the gaps in our national preparedness. But it has also exposed stark deficiencies in global governance. Information sharing is a clear example of that.”
World leaders don’t like to admit that they made mistakes, but only by facing our mistakes can we learn to do better. Continuing with his theme of data-driven policy, Michel wanted to see the nations share data about how viruses spread in which populations are most likely to succumb. The world needs to share data about treatments, and, he noted, “intensive international cooperation must play a critical role.” That is why Michel noted that “we must learn and implement new ways of working.”
“New ways of working?” In a world that resists change, Michel’s idea is more radical than it seems.
Michel warned that relying on individual nations or regions to control pandemics would never be enough:
“In the European Union, health is mainly a national, or even sometimes a regional, competence. Yet early in the pandemic, we realized that information-sharing needed to be strengthened.”
Again, he insisted on the need to share information – data.
Good Decision-Making
Michel’s speech also covered what he called “the value of fact-based and objective decisions.” Europeans and Americans alike have been inundated in an astonishing flood of right-wing misinformation – outright lies – about the coronavirus and the necessary public health measures. Michel never mentioned the misinformation. Instead, he focused on the positive need for making decisions according to what is true.
Michel’s speech also covered what he called “the value of fact-based and objective decisions.” Europeans and Americans alike have been inundated in an astonishing flood of right-wing misinformation – outright lies – about the coronavirus and the necessary public health measures. Michel never mentioned the misinformation. Instead, he focused on the positive need for making decisions according to what is true.
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Tucker Carlson Used a Textbook Fallacy to Question the Coronavirus Vaccines
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Finally, Michel insisted on the liberalizing principle of “human dignity:”
Throughout much of the world, including the United States, globalization is a hot-button topic that often leads to violent protests and insane conspiracy theories. The fact remains that the world is one big community. The world has always been a huge, interconnected community. People have depended on international travel and trade for thousands of years. Bronze Age people traded internationally. Marco Polo was a globalist. It is a fallacy to think that we can burrow into our own regions and ignore the rest of the world.
Yet, with all his liberalizing ideas, Michel‘s concluding remark reminded his audience of an important tradition: the idea of world unity, embodied in the United Nations, which formed after the horrors of World War II:
That last sentence rhetorically tied past and future together. We must think about our children’s future. We must, however, remember that our predecessors – people of the past – gave us wisdom that the world today should not forget. Michel reminded his audience, and the entire world, that we have traditions that are good, fine, and uplifting. For, we too often forget that collaboration is just as much a tradition as narrow-minded individualism.
Michel did not refute the conspiracy theorists, the anti-globalists, or the lunatic anti-mask, anti-vaccine crowd. Reason will never reach those people anyway. Michel’s calm, thoughtful speech, emphasized information, global cooperation, and human dignity. Why any of that should be controversial, I have no idea. Michel conveyed lessons that the world needs to hear, and I wish that his wonderful speech would receive the same amount of attention that the press devotes to rioters, uninformed people, irresponsible politicians, and conspiracy theorists. For, indeed, data-based policy and international cooperation are all that stop the world from tumbling into chaos.
“We are convinced that global challenges, like climate change, economic development or the fight against pandemics, require global solutions. We believe in a rules-based international order. We believe in universal values. We hope the international community will negotiate and agree on the future international treaty on pandemics.”
Throughout much of the world, including the United States, globalization is a hot-button topic that often leads to violent protests and insane conspiracy theories. The fact remains that the world is one big community. The world has always been a huge, interconnected community. People have depended on international travel and trade for thousands of years. Bronze Age people traded internationally. Marco Polo was a globalist. It is a fallacy to think that we can burrow into our own regions and ignore the rest of the world.
Yet, with all his liberalizing ideas, Michel‘s concluding remark reminded his audience of an important tradition: the idea of world unity, embodied in the United Nations, which formed after the horrors of World War II:
“Let’s keep in mind the future of our children in the spirit of her predecessors, who signed the UN charter over 75 years ago.”
The Past and the Future
That last sentence rhetorically tied past and future together. We must think about our children’s future. We must, however, remember that our predecessors – people of the past – gave us wisdom that the world today should not forget. Michel reminded his audience, and the entire world, that we have traditions that are good, fine, and uplifting. For, we too often forget that collaboration is just as much a tradition as narrow-minded individualism.
Michel did not refute the conspiracy theorists, the anti-globalists, or the lunatic anti-mask, anti-vaccine crowd. Reason will never reach those people anyway. Michel’s calm, thoughtful speech, emphasized information, global cooperation, and human dignity. Why any of that should be controversial, I have no idea. Michel conveyed lessons that the world needs to hear, and I wish that his wonderful speech would receive the same amount of attention that the press devotes to rioters, uninformed people, irresponsible politicians, and conspiracy theorists. For, indeed, data-based policy and international cooperation are all that stop the world from tumbling into chaos.
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