Narayan Prasad Ghimire

One of the influential writers and TV presenter, Fareed Zakaria, has come up with another riveting book, "Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World." As the title suggests, the book presents ten lessons for us to negotiate the post-pandemic situation. The word, 'lesson', also suggests the learning and experience we had in the past, which can be useful to cope with the future. Similarly, we are still amid the pandemic, which reflects our present situation.

Three keywords in the book title- 'lesson', 'pandemic', and 'post', denote past, present and future respectively, thus reflecting past lessons, and present experiences and suggesting measures to rediscover strength and stability in the years to come. The title is therefore evidently justifiable. It is safe to say that with his lessons and adequate references, author Zakaria provides us with the mantras to maintain post-pandemic resilience.
Yes, the writer has vividly explained how the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc, spreading fear and shock across the globe and destabilized almost every aspect of human life; how some countries egregiously ignored the science and spread of lethal coronavirus, thereby botching up the crisis while some countries paid heed to experts' views and suggestion, ensuring effective and better management of health crisis; how it will leave enduring impact; and how people and countries, however, rediscover life, pin hope, forge cooperation and build resilience for the post-pandemic situation.
He stresses that society and cities are imperative for people to foster ideas, launch innovation and propel actions that help face difficulty. The stories of success and failure in handling global crises are succinctly presented in the book.

The description of global competition of the US and China is equally worth-reading in it. These issues are made elaborate under ten lessons- 'Buckle Up', 'What Matters Is Not the Quantity of Government but the Quality', 'Markets Are Not Enough,' 'People Should Listen to the Experts- and Experts Should Listen to the People', 'Life is Digital', 'Aristotle Was Right-We Are Social Animals', 'Inequality Will Get Worse, 'Globalization Is Not Dead,' 'The World Is Becoming Bipolar', and 'Sometimes the Greatest Realists Are the Idealists'.

According to Zakaria, COVID-19 is one of three incidents that shook the world to the core since the end of the Cold War. The 9/11 and financial recession of 2008 are two others to shake the world. Unlike past crises, the present pandemic has a huge impact on almost every section and sector, paralyzing global travel and transport, business and enterprise, education and construction, social activities and gatherings.
As saving lives became the priority of every country irrespective of the development and resources, the COVID-19 turned out to be both the shakeup and wake up call. Not only the poor and resource-crunch countries but also the developing and developed ones turned inwards and restrictive. They set limitations, closed doors to others, loved only their citizens, fostered protectionism, boasted of boosting self-reliance and shunning dependency on others.

They acted in a way they would sever their ties to others. But, is it possible in such a hugely interdependent world? Is it possible to remain aloof and return to the past reflecting the pre-industrial loneliness in this hyper-connected world and system? Can globalisation be reversed? No, it is impossible, according to writer Zakaria. Such behaviour the countries showed is only for the crisis. The writer further argues that crisis results in renewed hope and rediscovery to cope with the future and spur development. His examples are compelling ones.
Going further categorically, in the lesson, 'Buckle Up', the author urges all to stay ready to face the challenges brought forth by COVID-19 and other crises. He mentions that as the development in science and technology advanced much in the recent centuries, these have brought hosts of problems, conflicts and crises together.

Zakaria provides the references of past outbreaks such as SARS, MERS, avian flu, swine flu, Spanish flu and Ebola which, he argues, had made an adequate warning to all to be ready to face a severe crisis. One of the must-read and internalised facts he brings is the warning made by biologist Joshua Lederberg who won the Nobel Prize at the age of 33. Lederberg had at a virology conference in 1989 warned that 'We (human) have one real competitor- the virus- and in the end, it could win.' Of course, scientist Lederberg's warning has nearly been proved true now, may prove true in future. We can not disagree with him at all. Here again, the writer buttresses, 'We have to adjust to the reality of ever-increasing instability now.

Similarly, the author writes: 'Urban centres are also the starting point of social activism. Almost every important political, social, and economic movement began in a city. … and it was in America's cities that protesters gathered to demand policing reforms after the murder of George Floyd'. In this chapter, the writer has attached much importance to cities and related them to the social nature of people. Although he argues it from the lens of crisis management, one can not fully support that those living in cities rather than villages are more 'social'. He further argues, 'All past prophecies of the decay of cities have proved wrong. Cities will endure.
Urbanization, especially in developing countries, will likely recover and continue at more or less its pre-pandemic pace'. This argument however is cogent that we can see the fear among people even in our country to restrict themselves from gathering, city-dwelling and travel has receded with the decline in the spread of coronavirus. After all, without bustling cities, life can not move ahead. It is impossible to ban national and international flights, physical meetings, cities markets, and industrial businesses forever in the name of crisis because they are the essentials to sustainable and vibrant life.

Another lesson, 'Sometimes the Greatest Realists Are the Idealists' brings examples of how the realists of different monumental periods turn idealists; how the narrow-nationalist and protectionist realize the need for cooperation and partnership for trust and harmony in the world. Similarly, he says inequality will worsen; globalisation and digital life continue, and the world will be dominated by the US and China etc.
The book was first published in the UK by Allen Lane under Penguin Books in 2020 and then by other publishers. The Nepali price of the book is Rs 958.

(Ghimire is a journalist associated with the national news agency, RSS)