Covering COVID-19: Perceptions of U.S. Leadership in the Time of Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic may well be the most serious global crisis since the Second World War. Confronted by the deadly threat, governments are focusing resources on managing the virus within their own borders and markedly directing little attention toward an effective international response. Even more striking is the U.S. absence on the international stage. Traditionally a lead interventional actor, the United States has remained conspicuously absent since the start of the pandemic, making international headlines as the global community grapples with the need for a cohesive collective response. What realistic and practical steps should the United States have been taking to help coordinate an international response? And how have U.S. allies and adversaries, particularly the EU, Russia, and China, responded to the United States’ absence?

Reporting from the front lines, Tom Friedman, Susan Glasser, and David Rennie will join the Carnegie Endowment’s Aaron David Miller to discuss the troubling geopolitical landscape that has emerged during the coronavirus pandemic and the perception of U.S. leadership by governments across the globe.

Tom Friedman

Tom Friedman is an internationally known author, reporter, and columnist at the New York Times.

Susan Glasser

Susan Glasser is a staff writer at the New Yorker, where she writes a weekly column on life in Trump’s Washington.

David Rennie

David Rennie is the Beijing bureau chief and author of the “Chaguan” column for the Economist

Aaron David Miller

Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focusing on US foreign policy.