The post-COVID world this week: A new prediction for back-to-normal, passes for safer travel, and a power shake-up in the Mediterranean – Atlantic…

The future is here: A guide to the post-COVID world 10/08/2020

Welcome to your guide to where the world is headed during the pandemic era and beyond. Each week, well bring you the latest and most significant expert insights and international news about how coronavirus is reshaping international affairs. To stay updated each week,sign up to the newsletter here.

Lets take a spin around the globe, in seven minutes or less.

The story of the COVID-19 pandemic is primarily about public health. But its also about power. And perhaps nowhere is that becoming most evident than in the Mediterranean. In a new issue brief by the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, we investigate coronaviruss political, economic, and societal impact in North Africa and the wider region.

Russia and Turkey, for example, are trying to expand their spheres of influence in the Mediterranean, potentially producing a redistribution of power there. And as migration flows from North Africa to Europe ebb or reverse as a result of the pandemic, nationalist political forces across Europe have shifted from championing anti-immigrant agendas to advocating for the self-interest of individual countries over that of the wider European Union.

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In Libya, the civil war initially overshadowed the outbreak of coronavirus. But now that Khalifa Haftars military offensive from the east has been defeated, the population is turning its attention to the viruss spread and the governments lack of preparation for fighting it, posing a challenge to the legitimacy of the Government of National Accord in Tripoli. The firm perch that Turkey has now established in Libya promises to reshape the regional energy and economic landscape.

The Tunisian government, by contrast, has swiftly and effectively implemented a preparedness plan to mitigate the spread of the virus, bolstering its standing in the region and relations with Europe. But the pandemic has also magnified pre-existing domestic challenges such as political deadlock, an economic recession, and the risk of the public deficit and debt imploding, which threaten economic reforms that are critical for Tunisias future.

In Algeria and Egypt, COVID-19 has hastened economic and social trends already underway. Both regimes have tightened their grip on society and information, invoking the virus to justify crackdowns against dissidents. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been more focused on silencing those who criticize the states response tocoronavirus than on containing the outbreak itself, which further harms the governments credibility and ability to tackle pressing socio-economic challenges. That, in turn, could frustrate Egypts ambitions to regain its position of power in the region. The health crisis has also exacerbated unemployment and added to the economic headwinds that Egypt and Algeria already faced.The bottom line: To develop effective policy toward North Africa and the Mediterranean, its vital to understand the interplay between states responses to the pandemic and their struggles to manage conflicts, economic problems, migration, and protest movementsand the ways in which that interplay is remaking the regions power system.

Insights from across the planet, in ten bullets or fewer

Insights from the Atlantic Council

Wed, Sep 30, 2020

America cannot move forward in the way that we need to without cooperation with our partners and allies around the world, Buttigieg maintained, especially with the pressing challenges of a rising China, climate change, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Elections 2020byDavid A. Wemer

Wed, Sep 30, 2020

Nepals poor governance track recordcharacterized by inadequate leadership after the 2015 earthquake, a divided ruling party, corruption and mishandling of funds by the government, and questionable governance practices by the prime ministernot only puts the population at a disadvantage in weathering the pandemic, but it also may deal additional blows to the countrys health and economic wellbeing.

New AtlanticistbyCapucine Querenet

Wed, Sep 30, 2020

In spite of the overall worsening of transatlantic relations over the past four years, and more inward looking foreign policy choices, Italy and the United States were able to preserve consistently positive relations. As far as trade is concerned, Italy managed to avoid the brunt of US tariffs on European goods, and trade exchange between []

Issue BriefbyGiovanna de Maio

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The post-COVID world this week: A new prediction for back-to-normal, passes for safer travel, and a power shake-up in the Mediterranean - Atlantic...