Foreign Policy and US-China Relations – Unknowable consequences of COVID-19

Foreign Policy and US-China Relations – Unknowable consequences of COVID-19

Within the space of a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our lives and the world around us. Yet, one of the most important aspects is that we have moved into a world of far greater unknowability about the future.

In the world of foreign policy, and especially in times of crisis, the best leaders and diplomats are certainly experts with a great deal of knowledge, but they are typically experts who also know the limits of their knowledge. But COVID-19 has created a radically greater degree of unknowability in numerous realms. 

Paul Gewirtz outlines how the many unknowables in the U.S.-China relationship, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, complicate the work of policy experts to predict outcomes, critique decisions, and recommend solutions. 

http://www.asiascot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/No-one-knows_-How-the-unknowable-consequences-of-COVID-19-affect-thinking-about-foreign-policy-and-US-China-relations.pdf