DISINFO: Coronavirus epidemic is provoking the collapse of globalisation and of the open society
SUMMARY
The coronavirus epidemic is the decisive moment in the collapse of globalisation and in the destruction of the unipolar world. The pandemic has buried globalisation, the open society, and the global capitalist system. The virus has destroyed the major myths underpinning globalisation, such as the myths claiming that open borders and interdependence among countries are beneficial, that international organisations are capable of dealing with emergency situations, that the global economy can cope with grave challenges. The coronavirus pandemic is a turning point in world history. As a result of the pandemic, the world order is crumbling, liberalism and its total ideological domination are coming to an end, and a multipolar world is coming into being. The coronavirus has brought death, suffering, horror, panic, pain but it is also ushering in the future.
RESPONSE
Emerging pro-Kremlin narrative claiming that the coronavirus pandemic will soon lead to the breakdown of globalisation and the collapse of the global economic system. The narrative of “imminent collapse” is one of the core instruments of pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets, used to spread demoralisation and self-doubt among target audiences, as well as to sow discord, panic, and diminish trust in national authorities, the EU and international institutions. The article provides no evidence to support its sweeping, apocalyptic claims. The Covid-19 pandemic - which is closing borders, severely restricting travel and disrupting supply chains - will provoke a global recession, but it will not be able to stop the globalising trend of recent decades. Globalisation has brought significant benefits for billions of people, and most of the world will not be eager to do away with easy travel and the free movement of people, goods and capital. Covid-19 will likely bring about a new phase in globalisation, but not its breakdown. The coronavirus crisis, as well as future pandemics, can be effectively brought under control only by deepening transnational cooperation. Such collaboration is already underway in the scientific and medical community, which is accelerating its efforts to understand the virus and discover a cure. While short-term quarantine is essential to stop epidemics, nationalist isolationism will lead to economic collapse without offering any real protection against infectious diseases. Read here a previous case claiming that the coronavirus represents the end of globalisation.