Coronavirus and the Future of Globalization

Guylian Abiven                Le 18/12/20

Coronavirus and the Future of Globalization

By Mie Oba - March 18th, 2020

https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/coronavirus-and-the-future-of-globalization/

The coronavirus has been relentless, rampaging beyond China and East Asia, including Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, to engulf^[1] Italy and Europe, North America, and Central and South America. The world has shifted to crisis mode, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declaring the novel coronavirus epidemic a “pandemic” on March 11.

The rise of the liberal international order has been a major factor in the growing movement of people across borders, whether for purposes of supply chains^[2] and distribution networks, international finance and the flow of money, employment, study or tourism. But this globalization has also allowed the entire world to be much more aware of the spread of the coronavirus.

There are two sides to the globalization coin. On the positive side, the cross-border flow of people, goods, money and information creates new wealth and opportunity. On the negative side, though, it can exacerbate global disparities, enable international terrorism and cross-border crime, and allow for the rapid spread of disease.

Countries around the world are now responding by restricting the movement of people, blocking the entry of people from countries particularly hard hit by the coronavirus or requiring inbound travelers to self-quarantine for a period of time. Of course, once the pandemic has eased, these restrictions will surely be removed. But with this new awareness of the risks associated with the free movement of people, there are some who may avoid future life, business or leisure plans that require crossing borders.

In particular, the coronavirus pandemic is having devastating repercussions for corporations and businesses that have benefited from economic interdependence supported by cross-border supply chains. From a risk analysis perspective, we could at the very least see a rapid trend towards moving from globally dispersed production bases back in favor of domestic facilities. Of course, it is unlikely that the tourism industry will stop looking to international arrivals. But many in the industry may have to start working on initiatives to increase domestic demand.

What is ominous is that this trend towards strengthening national borders was already manifest in a number of countries. Brexit, the rise of populism accompanied by anti-foreigner sentiment in multiple European countries, and the America First policy of the Trump Administration were spurred by a sense of increased disparity and the rising burden on certain segments of the population from advances in globalization.

The challenge is to take the liberal international order in a healthy direction by regulating and attenuating the burdens of globalization. And in fact this will require stronger international cooperation. The threat of the coronavirus has created an extraordinary situation, but once we have recovered, it is crucial that we create mechanisms to respond to disease through effective international cooperation, without falling victim to short-sighted ethnocentrism in the process of once again returning to normality. At the same time, we will need to work towards eliminating problems such as social and economic disparities caused by globalization.

Question 1(2pts)

Briefly present the document mentioning its date, source and author, then summarise it’s topic in a few sentences.

The text above is from the site "the diplomate" which is an international newspaper. The newspaper article is written by Mie Oba on March 18, 2020. The article talks about globalization from positive and negative points, then the impact that the corona virus has had on globalization. He also talks about the post-pandemic and the changes that will bring to globalization.

Question 2 (4pts)

Choose the correct meaning for each word or expression as it is used in the text:

• to be more aware (l.11)

□ être au courant                        □ être absent                        □ être présent

• cross-border (l.15)

□ douanes                                □ transfrontalier                 □ frontières

• to increase domestic facilities (l.26)

□ pour réduire les installations domestiques □ pour faciliter les installations domestiques  

□ pour augmenter les installations domestiques

• short-sighted (l.38)

□ court terme                                 □ petit         spectacle                □ long terme

...