Facing a health crisis

Donald Trump is systematically destroying the post-World War II global order by withdrawing the US from international treaties, agreements, and organisations. His latest outrage is to postpone until September the summit of the Group of Seven countries (G-7) which the US was due to host later this month. He took this decision because the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain were reluctant to fly to Washington for an in-person gathering and preferred to conduct discussions virtually.

Trump, naturally, wanted to show US voters that he is at the heart of world affairs by hosting seven high profile leaders in the US capital. He responded to this rebuff by claiming that the G-7 does not properly “represent what’s going on in the world. It’s a very outdated group of countries.” He said he would invite India, Russia, South Korea, and Australia to attend the summit if and when it takes place. Surely, China as the Asian powerhouse, should have been included but Trump is squabbling with and demonising China.

Trump’s dismissal of the G-7 is destabilising as these countries are major economic and financial powers which need, ASAP, to coordinate recovery policies and cooperate as they begin to ease lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and focus on restarting stalled economies. Putting off the summit until September is likely to postpone consultations with him but the G-6 will consult, coordinate and cooperate. He — as the representative of the US — will be out of the loop, partly because of the postponement but largely because he is too erratic and cannot be trusted.  

Trump’s dismissal of the G-7 follows his dangerous decision to pull out of the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the world is struggling with the world-wide Covid-19 pandemic.

He announced the US exit from the WHO, after having defunded the organisation to the tune of $400 million (Dhs1.5 billion), about 15 per cent of its budget. Although a 72-year-old agreement between the US and the WHO specifies that Washington should provide one year’s notice before pulling out, Trump’s action both violates this agreement and effectively ends US participation. When Europe criticised his move, he said that the European Union “must take a leading role and engage more financially.”

Established in 1948, the WHO, based in Geneva, is part of the United Nations complex of agencies. Until the US officially departs, it has 194 members. The WHO motto is to “promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.” 

Funded by state contributions based on wealth and voluntary donations, the WHO conducts mass vaccination campaigns, responds to health emergencies, and supports countries striving to provide primary care for their citizens.

Trump is blaming the WHO in an effort to evade responsibility for his poor personal response to the coronavirus challenge resulting in the infection of nearly two million and deaths of more than 107,000 US citizens. He claims wrongly that the WHO has fallen under the control of China where the virus originated and from where it has spread across the world. These are facts which China would like the world to forget but has tried to make up by helping countries afflicted with the virus by providing  masks, protective gear for medical  staff and citizens, and sending doctors to treat hospitalised victims in highly challenged countries like Italy.

Trump charges China with exerting pressure on the WHO to “mislead the world” about the virus but has failed to explain this accusation. There is no doubt that China did not warn the WHO about the highly infectious virus until Dec.31 although it, reportedly, appeared in November or early December. However, it was not identified as a new coronavirus by the Chinese until Jan.7. By that time it was too late to prevent its early spread. When the first US case was confirmed on Jan.20, Trump stated, “We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” The WHO declared a global public health emergency on the 30th. On the 31st, Trump banned the entry of foreigners who had been in China during the previous two weeks. Trump continued to dismiss the seriousness of the situation even after the first US death on Feb.6. His next line was “It’s going to disappear.” Instead of dealing with the virus he wished it would go away, on March 13th, he announced a national emergency after wasting six weeks.

The aim of exiting from the WHO is, of course, to deflect attention from his faulty showing at a time his opinion poll ratings are falling in the run-up to the November presidential election. His only worry is losing. Having made every effort to scrap the US health insurance programme for poor people created by the Obama administration, it is all too clear that Trump cares nothing for the health of US citizens and less than nothing for the survival of covid-threatened people the world over.

While the WHO may have made mistakes in the handling of the anti-Covid-19 campaign, the organisation is a sum of its parts, i.e. its members, including the US. If members do not press the WHO to tackle an emergency promptly and with all its resources, it may lose time, precipitating a crisis. This is precisely what Trump himself has done.

The WHO has been involved with the eradication of smallpox and polio and has contributed to the fight against AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Unless the US continues to support the organisation’s efforts with this virus and other diseases, they could lose momentum due to the lack of funding and the exclusion of this cross-continental, wealthy country.

The entire world must join together in the battle against Covid-19 or the offensive against an invisible, but deadly enemy could fail.  If Trump intends to exit the WHO in order to put “America First” — as he has done so far by trying to monopolise the resources required to counter and treat the virus — the US could be left out if accurate tests, treatments, and vaccines are found outside the US. This is not the moment for “America First,” but for giving priority to the health of the world’s entire population by promoting not defunding and abandoning the WHO which is, after all, the world’s health organisation.