Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
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Farm workers harvest zucchini during the coronavirus pandemic How to Stop a Looming Food Crisis
Trade restrictions are breaking supply chains, and coronavirus lockdowns are preventing laborers from working on farms. Countries need to step back and stop panicking.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (center) votes with other representatives in the Hungarian parliament in Budapest on March 30. Viktor Orban Can’t Eradicate the Coronavirus by Decree
Hungary’s authoritarian leader has granted himself dictatorial powers, but his neglect of the country’s health system and his powerlessness in the face of a depreciating currency will come back to haunt him.
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French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on a tablet screen in Montpellier, southern France, as he speaks from the Élysée Palace in Paris during a televised address to the nation on April 13. Why Politicians Ignore Disaster Predictions
Experts see catastrophe on the horizon, but nobody wants to pay the costs beforehand.
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Chen Chin-fang, the plant manager of Taiwan's Universal Incorporation, one of the country's biggest mask-makers, inspects mask materials at a factory in Tainan on March 6. ‘Mask Diplomacy’ a Boost for Taiwan
With U.S.-China relations showing scant improvement, Taiwan may bolster its global standing.
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A scene from Edgar Wright's 2004 zombie comedy “Shaun of the Dead.” What I Learned About the Coronavirus World From Watching Zombie Flicks
There are terrible parallels between the pandemic and the zombie apocalypse. But don’t despair—there is hope for humanity yet.
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People in need stand in queue as volunteers distribute free food packets in Guwahati, India, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown against the spread of the coronavirus. Modi’s India Isn’t Prepared for the Coronavirus
New Delhi’s lockdown has stalled the spread of the pandemic but a lack of planning has led to hunger, uncertainty, and panic.
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Two men greet each other by touching elbows. Poor Countries Need to Think Twice About Social Distancing
Policies imposed in rich countries to fight the coronavirus could have adverse effects in low-income nations—potentially endangering more lives than they save.
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A selection of mobile apps relating to the coronavirus pandemic are seen on a tablet screen in London on March 26. Only Surveillance Can Save Us From Coronavirus
Big data offers tools to stop the pandemic right now—if we change our definition of privacy.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers his annual state of the nation speech in front of Fidesz party members. Nationalists Claim They Want to Redefine Conservatism, but They’re Not Sure What It Is
A February gathering in Rome outlined a muddled vision for the future, claiming the mantle of Ronald Reagan and St. John Paul II while indulging the far-right.
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Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wearing a face mask attends a press conference at the prime minister's official residence on April 7 in Tokyo. Japan Is Testing the Limits of Pandemic Economics
Can the world’s most indebted country afford a $1 trillion stimulus?
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A Yemeni volunteer sprays disinfectant on the hands of kids in one of Sanaa's impoverished neighborhoods, on March 30, amid concerns of a coronavirus outbreak. The Coronavirus Pandemic Could Be the Key to Peace in Yemen
After years of failed attempts at talks and cease-fires, COVID-19 may be enough to push the Saudis, Houthis, and Yemeni government to the negotiating table.
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British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (center) and other cabinet ministers listen as Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during his first cabinet meeting after the general election, in London on Dec. 17, 2019. Keep Calm, the British Government Will Carry On
Boris Johnson’s hospitalization has sparked fears of instability, but the U.K. government has functioned smoothly in the absence of prime ministers in the past and continues to do so today.
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting. China Has Its Eyes on Serbia
Beijing is using the coronavirus pandemic to expand its influence into the EU’s backyard.
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Posters against the International Monetary Fund in Buenos Aires Argentina’s Friendships Could Jeopardize Its Debt Relief
Facing a coronavirus-aggravated economic downturn, Argentine President Alberto Fernández is walking a foreign-policy tightrope between Bolivia, Venezuela, and the United States.
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Hezbollah medical workers Yesterday’s Terrorists Are Today’s Public Health Providers
Insurgents around the world are using the pandemic to win new converts and weaken their enemies.
