Global perspective of the impact of the corona virus pandemic on the post-Cold War World Order

1. Corona Virus: Global Implications for the post-Cold War World Order
By Daniel Ekongwe
Abstract
This paper examines the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the global implication for the post-Cold War
world Order through the premise of the inter-play of inter-governmental and inter- society relations. The aim is to
expose the impact of globalization (especially technological and economic globalization) on the current course of
events and changing narrative on the subject of international global politics and international relations which
originally meant inter-states relations but whose contexture is increasingly dominated by (two tier approach)
economic and non-state actors who now enjoy secondary status. With more than five million people affected world-
wide and close to five hundred thousand deaths across the globe, the study explores the impact of the coronavirus by
looking at the historical occurrence of pandemics, role and inter play of states and other global actors like
transnational organizations or TNCs with the objective of exposing the dwindling role of the state over its citizens
and as an arbiter of international relations within the dynamics and repositioning of the concept of the contemporary
World Order and the culture of hegemonism in the contemporary world system as well as the prospects for
international cooperation. The paper examines the contextualization of the COVID-19 within the historical
antecedence of global pandemics and situating such within the centrality of the discourse and concept of world order
by analysing matters of national interest and international solidarity with the aim of exposing the mutations that have
accompanied the human community in her effort to develop socio-culturally, economically, technologically and
politically. In doing so the paper looks at the activities and operations of the actors, institutions, techniques and tools
and the process that have accompanied the COVID-19 since its outbreak in the Chinese province of Wuhan. Using a
vast array of literature review including my lecture notes on post-Cold World Order, interviews and discussions with
government authorities and researchers across Africa, Europe and India during this outbreak of COVID-19, the study
attempts to identify and examine who does what, when, where and why in the global effort to overcome the
coronavirus within the orbit of the world system. The study shows that while pandemics can be of natural occurrence
it can as well be man-made and used by states, individuals and transnational organizations to reorganize the human
society. It shows a trend that needs sufficient academic and policy attention especially from developing countries and
the need for especially African countries to expunge the genius of herbal medicinal transformation as a tool for
global sanitary diplomacy. The study found out that governments are losing control over their sovereignty when
faced with activities of transnational nomenclature and gravious threat from powerful individuals, organizations in
same way as when faced with terrorist, criminals and guerrilla actions. Furthermore, the study found out ambiguities
in the contemporary meaning and application of the state concept because of the interplay, role and increasing
domination of other actors in inter-governmental and inter-society relations. Finally it is argued that the outbreak of
the coronary virus has exposed the weaknesses and limitations of public health systems and the manipulations of
information for capital interest as the paper examined:
 The historicity of global pandemics;
 The conceptual outlines of World Order (background, problems and perspectives);
 Mapping the dimensions of the contemporary World Order (Principle of Sovereignty,
Principle of (legal) equality of states and Principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of
other states and;
 Post-Cold War Economic Engagements and the Emergence of Regional Economic Powers
The paper concludes by arguing that the events in any area of global policy has to be understood in terms of the
complex systems involving governments, companies, individuals and non-governmental organizations like
Transnational organizations and international organizations.
Key Words: Coronavirus, Globalization, State, Transnational and Non-Governmental Organizations.