But for those very many who have it not, the failed American dream looks like its not so dazzling.
for Example, medicine and higher education in this country – not a basic right, but a privilege that must be bought for a lot of money. In recent decades, these contrasts all the more deeply divided the country in half, and pandemic COVID-19 seemed to have twisted them to the limit.
Immersed in internal strife, America was absolutely not ready to repel viral threats. Americans make up a third of the number infected in the world and a quarter from the dead. Where this crisis will lead the United States? How to change them inside and how it will affect their role in the world? What will happen to American exceptionalism?
these questions “RG” replied Professor of history at American University Peter Kuznik is a co – author of the acclaimed book and documentary series “the Untold history of the United States” (eng. Untold History of the United Stated), trained with famed Hollywood Director Oliver stone.
America at the time mill one of the pioneers of globalization, exporting millions of jobs to Southeast Asia, where labor is cheaper. But it backfired when the pandemic had closed the border. Will they seek to return to their territory parts of the production chain?
Peter Kuznik: a Pandemic will place considerable pressure on governments to bring back some production of strategic goods and strategic raw materials to stock up for the next crisis.
But in my opinion, the real problem is not globalization, and the neoliberal capitalist economy. The existing system is tuned to maximize private profits, not social needs. It is based on specialization, the prohibition of excess. For example, Apple CEO Tim cook stated that “stocks of the products is a fundamental evil.” The world economy relies on the production chain, where everything goes as required, there is only what you need right now.
But during the crisis, the demand for certain goods increased dramatically and repeatedly exceeded their availability. The result of the chain once broken. As, for example, occurred with the ventilator, or equipment for hospitals. Countries that have relied on outsourcing of such critical commodities, particularly those that are not prepared for the crisis, despite years of warnings about the threat of pandemics, now go cap in hand. The US is not alone faced with this situation, but they proved to be highly not willing.
Opponents of globalization, such as Peter Navarro is the trading Advisor Donald trump is already calling for reducing dependence on other countries and the strategic movement of production back to the US. This crisis will only feed this kind of ek��economic nationalism, which was the driver the policies of the current administration from the beginning. In particular, trump’s advisors see this as an opportunity to weaken China.
the World and the global economy more fragmented? Or, on the contrary, this crisis will encourage everyone to work together, to reduce confrontation?
Peter Kuznik: the World is at a crossroads. It can go in the direction of nationalism, mistrust, militarism and the growth of competition. Or can go in the direction of greater unity and cooperation. While notable overtures in both directions.
Instead of admit the inept approach of the administration to this crisis, Donald trump involved in discussions about certain miracle medications and looking for scapegoats. He talked a lot about the failures of Barack Obama and Democrats, but its main target is China. It works with his constituents. But it is very dangerous.
China did not hesitate sometimes to answer, in General, acting smarter, by resorting to a diplomacy of generosity after their mistakes. Beijing delivers assistance to countries that need it, including America itself. When the Europeans remained deaf to the pleas of Italy, the Chinese sent two million masks and respirators. When the EU ignored the appeals of Serbia for assistance, came on the scene China. When the US stopped its contributions to the who budget, China has provided financial support. In early January, China has shared genetic information about the virus that started the search for a vaccine. The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell cynically described it as a “politics of generosity”, but the race of generosity between the two major powers in any case, for example, than the arms race.
Alas, the US is somewhere lost in the moment when the world needed help or advice, the common struggle against the real common enemy. Donald trump focuses on his own interests, largely ceding this space to China and Russia, if she will be able to cope with the spread of the virus inside the country.
But what exactly would be the victim of a pandemic, so is the myth of American exceptionalism. When Donald trump and Michael Pence (Vice-President of the United States – WG) the country has become an international laughingstock that she began to become more under George Bush. The US claim moral superiority has always been questionable, but now they look ridiculous.
What lessons the world should draw from the pandemic?
Peter Kuznik: a Multipolar world is the best solution to the world’s population. We need leaders who speak for the whole world, not only for their country. Need a change in global priorities. If we do not make conclusions from the pandemic, the next will be even worse. Now we face the threat of new waves of the pandemic. In 1918 “Spanish flu” spread in the United States in three waves, the first was the most soft. The real killer was the second, but the third was quite deadly.
Coronavirus – alarm for humanity. Let’s hope that this time it will get out of bed with the right foot and deal with the problems of social and financial inequality, lack of funding for health care and other public needs, militarism and the nuclear threat, environmental degradation.
How a pandemic can change America from the inside? For example, the author of the theory of “black Swan” Nassim Taleb predicted the beginning of the end for big cities. Will people EN masse to move out of town, work more from home?
Peter Kuznik: Work on udalenke will become more familiar and common thing, but it does not mean the end of large cities or mass movement in villages and towns. U.S. dynamics has long been the contrary, especially among young people, who like an urban lifestyle with all the social and cultural benefits that it provides.
on the other hand, life in the city was difficult and expensive for many Americans. Work on udalenke will give them more flexibility. Some of them may decide that instead of the exorbitant rent for an apartment in new York or San Francisco is better to have a more spacious and affordable housing in another place.
And of course there is a big social benefit of reducing traffic and air pollution. Now the air in many cities around the world cleaner than it has ever been in decades. See wild animals where they have not seen. Nature seemed restored. All the benefits of remote work, which people might want to use, expand them.
Man was the weak link in the production chain, many businesses have closed because of the coronavirus among employees. Replace people with robots?
Peter Kuznik: absolutely Yes, the pandemic will accelerate this process. There are disadvantages and advantages. Over the last century we have watched the growth of unemployment due to technological progress. In the literature this bound even the Great depression in the 1930s. Or, for example, automotive and robotics to cut a lot of jobs. Recently thought about it not so much because of the populist tendencies to focus on trade and the export of jobs to countries with cheap labor. But now measures the degree of growth of expenses on the maintenance workers, many enterprises will come to the conclusion that robots is the answer.
on the positive side, the replacement of human labor can strengthen the movement in support of the guaranteed annual salary that was long overdue.
How a pandemic could change education around the world? Did it mean the imminent end of traditional lessons in schools and universities, the transition to distance learning?
Peter Kuznik: a Pandemic will translate all the training online, but it will lead to a moderate change. It will create the conditions for a transfer of a part of the learning process in the United States for distance mode. Colleges and universities have already experimented with this.
as a teacher I thought that the beauty of learning is largely personal interaction of teachers and students. But my personal experience these days were positive, the barrier of distance learning is not as difficult as you would think, it has a right to exist. I am sure that for administrators, the remote control is a way to reduce costs, such academic savings.
However, online learning cannot completely replace lessons in the classroom. Considerations of economy should not get in the way of deep and personal experience, which in certain situations give classes. In addition, you must remember that not all students have equal access to computers, technology, fast Internet connection.
And what about healthcare? For example, whether a pandemic, and finally, to bring US to health care for all, not just for those who have insurance or a lot of money on going to the doctor?
Peter Kuznik: Here I would like to see real change. It’s just a shame that USA, the richest country, do not provide medicine to all its citizens as a basic right. It is a pity that Joseph Biden, the likely candidate of the Democratic party of the USA, does not support medicine for all in one form or another (as well as the current President Donald trump – WG).
Bernie Sanders, who would have to win the nomination, were going to make it a cornerstone of his campaign. Polls show that Americans are finally ready. Health care should not be a scope for generating revenue. Corporations should not profit from disease and suffering. In the US, medicine is consumed twice as much per capita than other developed countries, and the result is much worse. In the American heartland there is often no access to hospitals, quality healthcare , and that’s because there is a commercial proposition. It should not be. So reform is long overdue. Now there is a new chance and it should be used.
