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كيف نعيد البناء سويا

Feb 26, 2021 Joschka Fischer

برلين ــ البشر كائنات تحكمهم عاداتهم. ونحن نميل إلى تصور مستقبل يشبه الماضي إلى حد بعيد، فنتشبث لهذا السبب بالأدوات والأساليب ووجهات النظر المألوفة حتى في حين يتغير العالم. ولكن في هذه اللحظة من التحول الاجتماعي والسياسي والاقتصادي العميق، يتعين علينا أن تحرص على عدم السماح لعاداتنا بقيادتنا إلى الضلال.

ينبئنا التاريخ بأن التحولات الكبرى ــ مثل تلك التي أعقبت انهيار الاتحاد السوفييتي وحلف وارسو في بداية تسعينيات القرن العشرين ــ لم تجعل المجتمعات في عمومها أكثر حكمة، أو حتى أكثر تشككا. بل قوبلت هذه التحولات في عموم الأمر بتوقعات مفادها أن الحياة اليومية ستظل على حالها إلى حد كبير ــ أو تعود إلى "وضعها الطبيعي" على الأقل.

كان هذا الميل واضحا خلال أزمة مرض فيروس كورونا 2019 (كوفيد-19)، والتي يُـنـظَـر إليها غالبا على أنها ارتباك مؤقت وإن كان دراماتيكيا. الواقع أن الجائحة كانت لحظة فاصلة ــ وهي ليست الوحيدة التي تواجهنا اليوم: فالثورة الرقمية، وحتمية إزالة الكربون بسرعة من اللحظات الحاسمة بذات القدر.

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The Gift of a COVID Vaccine? The Big Picture
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The Gift of a COVID Vaccine?

The world received the blessings of cutting-edge science this holiday season with the record-fast development of effective COVID-19 vaccines that promise to end a pandemic that has so far killed more than 1.7 million people and caused the worst economic crisis in generations. But the rush by rich-country governments to secure enough doses for their own citizens threatens to prolong the agony for the developing world.

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j. von Hettlingen Mar 1, 2021

Joschka Fischer says humanity is grappling with three challenges - the Covid-19 pandemic, digital revolution, and climate change - that have caused a rupture with our “old normal.” Given the extent of the challenges, no country can tackle them on its own. In time of crisis, the idea of nation-state is no longer fit for the purpose. Competition and the pursuit of national interests only pose an obstacle to cooperation.
The author says, “major transformations” in history such as “the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact at the beginning of the 1990s – have not made societies collectively wiser, or even more skeptical.” It is worth pointing out that this event did not have a huge impact on the wider world, because it affected mainly Eastern Europe. While the end of communism made global headlines, most people across the globe went about their daily lives as usual.
The Covid-19 health crisis is a different story. Although initially “a temporary, if dramatic, disruption,” it had morphed swiftly into a global pandemic. The rising number of infection cases and death-tolls, as well as the stalling economy as a result of health-measures such as lockdowns and social distancing have left an indelible scar, that will manifest in our lives for years to come. The pandemic has provided a watershed moment for collective actions to deal with global challenges.
The author doubts whether we have the will and skills to tackle them. It is widely known that “human beings are creatures of habit.” Yet those familiar and “traditional political institutions – first and foremost, the nation-state – are faltering. They have struggled to address the pitfalls of digitization, such as by reining in tech giants. And they have proved ill-equipped to cope with both the pandemic’s global scope and its psychological dimension.”
The Covid-19 with its numerous variants has stretched the health systems in countries across the globe. It strikes “at the heart of the state’s legitimacy,” as a weary population has had enough of stringent health measures, that have taken a toll on our finances, physical and mental wellbeing. Any contradictory and confusing messages can lead to a “crisis of trust…. shaking societies to their core.” To restore “trust and stabilize societies” requires “an effective crisis response.”
In the face of “the global nature of the challenges,” we can hardly tackle them “without extensive cooperation, facilitated by effective institutions.” Unfortunately we stick to our decisions and principles, “indulging parochial national rivalries rather than pursuing forward-looking solutions.” The author says the race for vaccine is a case in point. Using the idea of nation-state to address the pandemic is “tantamount to aiming an antiquated muzzleloader at an F-16” fighter jet.
As the world begins planning for a post-pandemic recovery, the UN had called on governments to seize the opportunity to “build back better” by creating more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies. These calls to “build back better”….imply “some awareness of the need for systemic change.” It requires us to go “beyond constructing modern infrastructure or unlocking private investment in any one country. We need to re-orient – indeed, re-invent – global politics, so that countries can cooperate far more effectively in creating a better world.”
The current crisis is an unprecedented wake-up call for action. The US under Trump left the Paris Climate Agreement and sought world dominance. It has rejoined since Biden took office. Now the world is hoping that the US and China - the world’s biggest polluters - will cooperate, for the sake of our planet. But it will also ease tensions if the two rivals would scale down their “strategic competition” for global hegemony. We are living in an era in which “hegemony cannot be the goal.” Instead, of “domination” the author says “preservation….is the new imperative of global leadership.”
Leaders must change their priorities and make life “worth living for all people.” This idealistic approach may just well be wishful thinking. Many Americans - including some leaders - are willing to give up their pursuit of hegemony. But Xi wants to restore China’s former glory through expanding its military might, and he has whipped up nationalistic fervour to bring the country in line. A world order written by Xi is not precisely desirable.
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jonathan Story Feb 28, 2021

This is a good example of why with Germany on top, Europe is in trouble. What Fischer is saying is that things would be so much better if they weren't like they are now. Another way of saying this is, wouldn't it be great if the 550 million or so EU citizens shared the view of Europe held by the enlightened 2% of the population. Forget about the 98%, the deplorables.
Utopian thinking is always easy. It enables its practitioners to parade, and to the extent that they move things a bit in their direction, it generally contributes to one almighty pile-up. Witness the EU now.
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