COVID-19

Skip to content Robin Barnett Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin Part of Coronavirus (COVID-19) 22nd April 2020 Dublin, Ireland Living in LockdownI wanted to reflect on the Coronavirus crisis, the tragic loss of so many lives around the world and on actions that need to be taken to defeat the virus. The enormity of what is happening is incredibly difficult to come to terms with. Just like everybody else, I have never known anything like this despite spending 40 years as a diplomat and living through such historic ruptures as the end of the Cold War. The impact is dramatic at every level, including personal. I too am separated from friends and loved ones. I too miss the social things that we all enjoy so much. But the stay home policy is successfully beginning to halt the spread of the Coronavirus both here in Ireland and in the UK. Most importantly, it is easing the pressure on the heroic health service professionals in both our countries. They are true celebrities. And they have been supp..

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday launched ‘FM Direct’ — a mobile application for a direct digital connection between him and all officers...

16 Apr Conspiracy Theories in the COVID-19 Crisis and their Social & Geopolitical Consequences Posted at 08:47h in UK Perspectives by Sophia Gaston There are a number of historically unique factors about the moment at which the COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the world, and it certainly arrived at an especially delicate moment in the trajectory of Western liberal democracies. Socially and politically, the pandemic is being experienced in the aftermath of a number of developments that have chipped away at some of the traditional tools of governance and preconditions of cohesive societies. Of particular alarm has been the prominent role of conspiracy theories – which have been gaining an increasing degree of visibility and influence in Western political life over recent years. The rise of social media, the growth in anti-establishment political movements, the declining levels of trust in institutions, and the rising competition between social gr..

27 Mar COVID-19: The Soft Power Struggle Posted at 10:20h in UK Perspectives by Sophia Gaston COVID-19 touches on every aspect of geopolitics, and every unresolved tension of international relations is being ruthlessly exposed to the light of day. While many defence forces are being called upon for domestic responsibilities, the centrality of soft power in this crisis cannot be in dispute. This great test of international cooperation has revealed some harsh truths about the fragility of global alliances – particularly in the West. And the asymmetrical nature of the spread of the disease, and the national responses to seek to contain it, compels varied risks and opportunities for international reputations. As its origin and former epicentre, China found itself on the frontline of the battle in January and February. Across the world, governments and their citizens looked on with horror as the extent of its efforts to suppress and conceal the s..

Imagine you are the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and you wake up one morning learning that the head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has ushered in a new age of global diplomacy. Asian countries are trying, with some success, to turn...

Over the past month, foreign ministries (MFAs) have been actively involved in national efforts to stem the coronavirus outbreak. Thus far, foreign ministries have...

A state-backed chatbot is providing coronavirus information across Estonian government websites to help keep the public informed during the crisis. The coronavirus chatbot, dubbed Suve,...

The spread of the new coronavirus is testing our globalised world. The world of diplomacy is particularly affected by these developments, as meetings, conferences,...

Strident digital, surveillance and diplomatic policies are being written in the heat of a disaster — not through deliberation or agreement, but through escalating...