Our Top Weekend Reads

Democrats pushing back on sanctions, the use of colonial-era quarantine laws, and blaming China for the coronavirus.

By Dan Haverty

A craftsman works at a workshop in Tehran

March 28, 2020, 7:00 AM

Senior members of the Democratic Party are calling for U.S. President Donald Trump to ease sanctions on countries badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, many governments are implementing draconian quarantine measures that border on totalitarian. Some of those measures have roots in colonial history.

And while China shouldn’t be blamed for creating the virus, its initial response to the outbreak helped it spread across the world.

Here are Foreign Policy’s top weekend reads.

A woman wearing a mask in Iran

A woman wearing a mask walks with a man along a street in Tehran on March 15.stringer /AFP via Getty Images

1. Democrats Push Back on Sanctions, Citing Coronavirus Fears

Senior U.S. Democrats are urging the Trump administration to temporarily reduce sanctions on several countries, citing the need to provide medical supplies and humanitarian support, Foreign Policy’s Jack Detsch reports.

Medical workers wearing protective gear take samples from a driver with suspected symptoms of coronavirus at a test facility in Goyang, north of Seoul, on Feb. 29.

Medical workers wearing protective gear take samples from a driver with suspected symptoms of coronavirus at a test facility in Goyang, north of Seoul, on Feb. 29. JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images

2. Without Mass Testing, the Coronavirus Pandemic Will Keep Spreading

The key to South Korea’s success at slowing the spread of the coronavirus has been an early push toward mass testing. If other countries are serious about stopping the virus, they should do the same, Devi Sridhar writes.

A passenger wearing a face mask as a protective measure looks at two police officers at the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport in Barajas on March 20, 2020.

A passenger wearing a face mask as a protective measure looks at two police officers at the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport in Spain on March 20. Javier Soviano/AFP via Getty Images

3. How Governments Got Their Quarantine Powers

Many former colonies of the British Empire have laws on the books that give their governments sweeping quarantine powers. While such measures are often required to maintain social stability, their constitutionality is questionable, Justin Ling writes.

Posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping are plastered on the ground during protests at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, on Sept. 26, 2019.

Posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping are plastered on the ground during protests at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, on Sept. 26, 2019. Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images

4. Yes, Blame China for the Virus

Critics insist that U.S. leaders’ focus on blaming China for the coronavirus, dubbing it the “Wuhan virus,” is racist. But while China did not create the virus, the government’s initial missteps are directly responsible for its global transmission and uncontrolled spread, Paul D. Miller writes.

School students gather to demand action on climate change in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 20, 2019.

School students gather to demand action on climate change in Sydney on Sept. 20, 2019.Jenny Evans/Getty Images

5. Sorry, but the Virus Shows Why There Won’t Be Global Action on Climate Change

Climate activists hope that the steps taken by national governments to combat the coronavirus can be applied to environmental action, but several barriers still stand in the way, Foreign Policy’s Jason Bordoff writes.

Dan Haverty is a former editorial fellow at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @dan_haverty