Author: George Packer
Affiliation: The Atlantic
Organization/Publisher: The Atlantic
Date/Place: June 2020 Issue, U.S.A.
Type of Literature: Analysis
Word Count: 2800
Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/underlying-conditions/610261/
Keywords: America, Coronavirus, Failed State.
Brief:
The Coronavirus didn’t break America. Rather, it revealed what was already broken: a corrupt political class, a heartless economy and a distracted public, the virus only exploiting the situation. The American population had got used to these symptoms until Coronavirus actually revealed to them the shocking truths of their country. The American President, to spite the handling of the virus scientifically, called it a conspiracy theory and politicised it more to anger his base supporters. Soon the world’s richest power needed humanitarian aid and the citizens woke up to find themselves in a failed State. Americans really need to ask themselves if they can trust their leaders anymore. The writer compares Trump with Marshal Philippe Petain, the French General in 1940, who also left France in disaster as Trump is doing to the US at the moment. The article also claims that Trump has never pretended to be president of all Americans, instead he has divided the country on the basis of race, sex, religion and citizenship and his main tool of governance has only been lies. The author suggests that in these times of self-isolation, people can pay attention to the hospital workers. These dreadful days can be a lesson, that stupidity and injustice are lethal, that in a democracy being a citizen is an essential job and the alternative is nothing but death. After all of this is over, one shouldn’t forget what it meant to be alone.
By: Saima Rashid, CIGA Research Assistant