Coronavirus

World leaders criticize Trump’s WHO decision, IMF says coronavirus biggest economic toll since Great Depression

By Atlantic Council

US President Donald J. Trump’s suspension of funding to the World Health Organization (WTO) was criticized by top world leaders, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the coronavirus crisis will take the biggest toll on the global economy since the 1930s Great Depression. A ninety-nine-year-old army veteran has raised millions for the UK’s health service by walking laps of his garden.

Tech, data, and leadership: pandemic geopolitics and recovery post-COVID

When: Wed, 22 April 11:00-12:00pm EDT Where: Co-hosted by the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center and WEBIT Virtual What: A virtual roundtable discussion on "the Coronavirus Crisis, Tech Innovation, and associated Geopolitical Impact" to include what tech innovators and world leaders can do re: the long-term global recovery.

President Duque outlines how Colombia is handling dual coronavirus challenges

By David A. Wemer

For most countries around the world, the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has strained resources and demanded singular attention from policymakers. For Colombia, this new crisis must also be juggled with the ongoing collapse of neighboring Venezuela, which has already seen 2 million Venezuelans seek refuge in Colombia. “We have had to manage two crises at the same time,” President Iván Duque explained on April 14, which forced Colombia to take drastic measures to contain coronavirus earlier than many of its neighbors.

A more coordinated global coronavirus response is needed, Turkish foreign minister argues

By David A. Wemer

Çavuşoğlu cautioned that it is very possible that the pandemic ushers in a “world that is less open, less prosperous, and less free,” but he hoped that effective global leadership would allow the international community to grow stronger. The need for solidarity might even “force us into more multilateralism,” as governments pursue common solutions to the crisis. While many leaders continue to be singularly focused on the situations within their own borders, “we can only eradicate this threat through collective effort,” Çavuşoğlu said. “We must work together.”

Surveying opinions from rural India on the COVID-19 lockdown

By South Asia Center

India is now several week into the government-mandated lockdown intended to control the spread of COVID-19. Led by Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr Edmond Fernandes, the CHD Group and the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center surveyed Indian citizens in rural Karnataka to capture the impact of the outbreak and lockdown on their access to public health services […]

Ten US states mull joint approach on lifting restrictions; Europe starts on early ‘balancing act’

By Atlantic Council

Ten US states on the East and West coasts plan to work on a joint approach to reopen the economy gradually. Not their decision to make, US President Donald J. Trump said during a testy press conference. Lockdowns in Europe were extended even as some countries started on tentative steps to reopen some economic activity while remaining wary of new infections of coronavirus.

Oil price war ends, but coronavirus demand crisis remains

By Reed Blakemore

The result of the OPEC+ marathon negotiations should help restore some positive market sentiment and possibly firm up something of a price floor over the short term. However, the impact of a month-long price war, amidst deteriorating oil demand, risks eventually drawing the deal into sharp relief over the next few weeks.

Putin concedes defeat in the oil price war

By Anders Åslund

Russia's price war with Saudi Arabia backfired, and Putin's backtracking may signal that he is starting to sour on one of his key officials.

Expert survey series: COVID-19’s potential impact on global technology and data innovation

By Stewart Scott

Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center submitted a questionnaire to more than 100 technology experts to record their expectations about the impact of COVID-19 on innovation in five key fields: the future of work, data and AI, trust and supply chains, space commercialization, and health and medicine.