BY IZAZ KHATTAK
The Covid-19 is going to change the global world order. The pandemic has shaken the foundations of balance of power throughout the world and also exposed the so-called super defense system of North including the hegemonic United State of America.
The ongoing outbreak will have long lasting effects on global politics. Like World war-I, world war-II and cold war, the world will be referred to as pre and post-Covid19 era. Covid-19 will prove a defining moment in the new world order
China will take the advantage of restricting covid-19 to Wuhan by strictly maintaining social distancing and complete lockdown though it might have affected their business hub, Wuhan. The whole world is now analyzing their steps.
Except china, the whole world acted late in responding to the deadly disease, especially the European states which are well known for their pro-active measures but in this case they failed badly.
Super powers are limited to their selves and history will remember that during the time of crisis, great powers supported the world like after WW-II when European economy was destroyed and the US supported them with aid of $15 billion but this time China is going to win the hearts of international community by supplying them medical equipment.
Thus China’s mask diplomacy is a modern ‘XI plan’ to save humanity from this scourge. If ‘XI plan’ succeeds, one can say that a new world order is in the offing. History will witness for the first time ever that world is leaded by a state from East. Western monopoly will end with a major blow in the faces of great powers. Hence post covid-19 world order will be East-centric leaded by China.
Surprisingly, when nature is angry over the entire world, wars are still going on. The Kashmir curfew/lockdown is still intact. Palestine is still a case of humanitarian crisis. Somehow, humans are ready to fight against their common enemy but when it comes to their fellow-beings, they fight with each other.
Humans are neither fully equipped to deal with a common enemy in the shape of a virus nor have they learnt to live together by sharing the planet justly. In the times of natural and human-made calamity, armed conflict must come to an end.
There is a dire need for the revision of international humanitarian law and laws of armed conflict in the post-Covid era. The post covid-19 era is likely to emerge with new trends in international politics.
(Izaz Khattak, is a student of BS International Relations at National University of Modern Languages Islamabad. He can be reached at izazkhattak321@gmail.com)
