The pervasive and ever-present ideology of globalism, so championed by progressive politicians and pundits, is facing its nadir. As COVID-19 sweeps the world, it is toward the nation-state model that many countries are racing in the hopes of salvaging their population and their economies. For decades, the idea of ever-closer union, and indeed, global governance, has been touted as the most worthy and desirable notion to which the human race can work. Is the world about to wake up from a comforting dream and realize that when times get lean, it’s every man for himself?
In the last several weeks, we have witnessed borders being closed, international travel stopped, and nations hijacking desperately needed medical supplies from once-friendly neighbors. When the Coronavirus crisis inevitably passes, will leaders forget these transgressions, or will there forevermore be a wary glint in the eye of presidents and prime ministers as they receive assurances that “we are all in this together”?
A Global Future
H.G. Wells, writing in his 1921 collection of essays and articles The Salvaging of Civilization discussed what he thought the future of mankind might look like. This was not a War of the Worlds vision of aliens and invaders, but rather a thoughtful collection on how he saw the trend of governance going forward. He wrote:
“The idea of a League of Nations sustaining a Supreme World Court to supersede the arbitrament of war, did not so much arise at any particular point as break out simultaneously wherever there were intelligent men.”
Remember, Wells was writing in the aftermath of the First World War, and the idea that countries should be pitted against one another yet again would have seemed a horrific possibility. But the world changes, mutatis mutandis, and the threats we face today are not those of marching men and rolling tanks.
Desperate Times
The fact is that when push came to shove, all the flowery language and good intentions of nations in a global family came to naught. Trucks containing N95 masks, purchased by the British National Health Service (NHS), and designated for use by overworked doctors and nurses, were stopped by French border control and impounded on their way to Britain. Impounded, they say? More like stolen.
While some might suggest this thievery is a result of Brexit, that would not explain why Germany refused to deliver the N95 masks Italy had ordered in good faith. Despite the supposed camaraderie of European Union member states, Germany justified their failure to hand over the supplies by saying that they themselves might have need of the protective equipment in the future.
And what about Italy, a country on the verge of collapse? It has been dealt two more harsh hands by the globalists. The first was ideological, the second bureaucratic. When news broke of the Coronavirus wreaking havoc in China, the nation's government was slow to respond. Former head of the European and Italian Society for Virology Dr. Giorgio Palù said in an interview with CNN:
“There was a proposal to isolate people coming from the epicenter, coming from China. Then it became seen as racist, but they were people coming from the outbreak.”
In reaction to this fear of being seen as racist, Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella took to the media to encourage the “Hug a Chinese” (abbraccia un cinese) movement, in order to show solidarity. People across the region took pride in taking photos and videos, posting them on social media, of their “enlightened attitude.” There is little doubt that this increased the spread of COVID-19, in the country that has now suffered the highest number of deaths from the virus.
The bureaucratic slap in the face came courtesy of the European Union, an institution whose response to the outbreak may well seal its fate. As Italy faces thousands of deaths, a system at breaking point, and industries on the brink of failure, the national government provided funds to hotels in Sardinia to keep them afloat until the crisis is over. The E.U., in all its infinite wisdom and compassion, responded by slapping Italy with an $8.5 million fine for breaking “state-aid rules.” Not only that, but the belabored Italians also face daily growing penalties for not paying the original fine.
Solidarity, indeed.
Try, Try, and Try Again
Not to be put off by reality, the salesmen of globalism have decided that the way out of this particular crisis is yet more globalism. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called on world leaders to come together and form a “global government” in response to the present troubles.
What fresh madness is this? The very position that has so exacerbated this crisis is now being called upon to be our savior, logic and common sense be damned.
The argument for bringing essential manufacturing home has been won; the case for having borders that can be effectively locked down when needed has been proven. Are globalism and all its inherent problems about to go the way of the dodo? For all our sakes, let’s hope so.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
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