Coronavirus and global justice reading list
Here are a few articles and videos with a global justice perspective on the coronavirus pandemic which we’ve found interesting and thought that you might too. Click on the links to be taken direct to the article or video.
General
1. General guide to the pandemic, which is regularly updated.
2. Why the Uk has changed its Coronavirus Strategy (and why there’s hope), Fiona Conlon, Medium 18 March
Non-technical summary of the Imperial College London report which led to the UK government changing strategy and moving away from the highly criticised ‘herd immunity’ approach. Very useful, user-friendly insights from a Public Health expert on what is being done and why. Pre-‘lockdown’. Written by a member of the Global Justice Now London youth group, Our Future Now.
3. “Herd Immunity” is Epidemiological Neoliberalism, Isabel Frey March 19
This piece argues that ‘herd immunity’ was a policy borne from damaging neoliberal ideology which puts the onus on individuals – even the most vulnerable – to protect themselves rather than put the economy under strain “[b]ecause people who trust in an unregulated market will also trust in an unregulated epidemic – even if it kills”
4. Anti Capitalist Politics in the Time of COVID-19, David Harvey,
Jacobin Marxist geographer David Harvey argues forty years of neoliberalism has left the public totally exposed and ill prepared to face a public health crisis on the scale of coronavirus.
5. [VIDEO] Coronavirus Capitalism and How to Beat It. Naomi Klein, The Intercept March 16
The video explains the dangers of Shock Doctrine politics in response to the pandemic, with Trump exploiting the crisis to target social security, bailing out big polluters (Cruise lines, airlines) and giving hand outs to big pharma. But also raises the possibility of a transformative “evolutionary leap” towards radical policy ideas like the Green New Deal.
Pharma
6. Gilead Sciences Backs off Monopoly Claim for Promising Corona virus Drug, Sharon Lerner The Intercept 25 March
Gilead initially secured exclusive marketing rights for Remdesivir – an antiviral thought to have potential in treating COVID-19 – through a loop hole in the ‘Orphan Drug Act’ which covers treatments for ‘rare diseases’. Following public scrutiny Gilead claims to be backing off and requesting that the FDA rescind the exclusive status.
Migration/ Global South
7. Libya’s refugees face being cut off from aid due to coronavirus, Guardian March 24
Fear of being left without money or food following suspension of some NGO activities adds to already desperate situation.
8. The Coronavirus is Killing Iranians. So are Trump’s Brutal Sanctions, Mehdi Hassan March 17
Overview of how US sanctions are increasing pressure on Iran making it more difficult to cope with the pandemic and the increasing death toll.
Climate
9. A Degrowth Perspective on the coronavirus crisis, 19 March
The rapid spread of COVID-19 and the resulting impact on the most vulnerable underscore the destructive nature of growth based economic structures but the drastic measures taken (lockdown, decreased travel/consumption) signal that degrowth is both necessary and possible.
10. Coronavirus could unravel globalisation, Ann Pettifor, The Tribune
Coronavirus will slow the engine of capitalist globalisation as nation states seek self-sufficiency. It’s a time to rethink our world economic model – and ask whether a more progressive alternative is possible. On the prospect of international solidarity, and a green new deal
11. It’s Not “Ecofascism” it’s Liberalism Samuel Miller McDonald 19 March
Lengthy article arguing that what we label ‘ecofascism’ is in fact racism which has a long history in economic liberalism. Also discusses greenwashing, and historical exclusion of radical and indigenous voices in western liberal environmentalist movements.
