Science Diplomacy & Corona Virus
Science Diplomacy is the need of the hour for solving the Corona Virus Origin problem and peace in the post-Corona era.
With its strong leadership, diplomacy, science, and economic interdependence with the countries involved, India can be a friendly arbitrator to find a peaceful solution for the origin of the Coronavirus issue.
This tiny COVID19, causing the virus approximately a billionth of human size, terrorized billions, infected millions, and killed over 3.7 million people so far. It is known scientifically as SARS-CoV-2.
Considering the enormous numbers of deaths and trillions of U.S. dollars loss several countries, for example, the USA, U.K., Egypt, etc., are suing China to recover the loss. Why? Because the bat viruses and their research are from Wuhan, China. Also, the pandemic started there and spread to all the countries, in part due to a lack of early warning from China.
That is only a partial story.
But the reality is much more than that. Please read the article COVID19 Origin Mystery & Solution Role of China, USA & France for the details. The gist of it is that the USA and France may also have involved in this pandemic’s origin. So blaming and suing China alone will backfire. China’s ‘Mask Diplomacy’ is Faltering. But the U.S. blame game is not doing any better.
There is a lot of misinformation, disinformation from government and institutional channels in the media, and social media, hurting the already polarized world. So, there must be a better option for the world to get out of the global calamity. Globalization not only brought jobs and prosperity to other countries around the world but also the virus. The virus is now bringing an unprecedented economic disaster to all nations.
After weeks of stubborn responses, Chinese officials have struck a conciliatory tone. ‘When people’s lives are at stake, nothing matters more than saving lives. It is useless to argue over the merits of different social systems or models,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mr. Zhao Lijian said. China, he said, is ready to work with the international community, including European countries, to “jointly safeguard the health and safety of all mankind.’
Is this the first time that a virus caused some significant problems between countries? No. France and the USA had a rift on the discovery of the AIDS virus in 1987. It was solved peacefully when USA President Ronald Reagan and French President François Mitterrand made a formal agreement to divide the scientific credit and patent royalties from all HIV work and the blood test that detected it. On the same lines, now the world’s polarization can be stopped, and global peace can be achieved if all the nations involved come together and accept the burden of letting a pandemic happen and find a peaceful economical solution.
What is at the heart of the problem? The origin of the COVID19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. It is accepted by all concerned that it came from China. But who contributed to it is still a mystery? This is a question because the USA funded and France helped the Chinese researchers directly and indirectly for the research that may have bright Saras Cov 2 into existence. The USA funded the Wuhan research project with millions of U.S. dollars under Gain-of-Function Research. Many scientists have criticized Gain-of-Function research, which involves manipulating viruses in the lab to explore their potential for infecting humans. It creates a risk of starting a pandemic from accidental release.
Now the U.S. and other countries blame China for some lab accidents that may have caused the pandemic, and China did not give the information in time. China and the scientists involved argue that the epidemic happens due to the natural jumping of coronavirus from bats to humans.
There are two significant issues with that argument. Wuhan, where the first cases were reported, is not native to bats. Two scientists Yong-Zhen Zhang, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, and Edward C. Holmes, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, could not state that the CIVID19 origin is entirely natural. They admit that there are gaps in our understanding of this issue.
Now the question is technical, political, social, and economic at a great proportion. So many countries launched their investigation into the origin of the COVID19. Without the full cooperation and transparency of China, the truth may never be known.
If this is not solved soon with science and diplomacy, the consequences will be grave for the world. The world needs a friendly arbitrator between the accusing parties.
With its strong leadership, diplomatic strength, scientific ability, and economic interdependence with the countries involved, I see that India can act as a friendly arbitrator and find a peaceful solution. If India takes the lead, I am sure the international experts from different domains can come and work to find a path that assures peace, recovery, and prosperity in the post-COVID era!
