Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order

COVID-19 pandemic was extremely disruptive for our daily lives, but it also had a major impact on international relations. Read this book if you want to try and understand how the pandemic changed the world and the balance of power and most importantly the role of the United States. It is masterfully written which makes it an easy read in spite of the complexity of the content.

You may have been under strict or less severe lockdowns for 2 years, your household income may have halved, you have been bombarded by COVID-19 related news for 2 years. Those are local changes and how it affects our lives at individual level. This book integrates all into a volume, truly enables us to see what a disaster this pandemic was at global level, and provides the world with far-reaching insights into how we should better prepare and collaborate before next wave hits.

Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright (the latter is my Brookings colleague) have written the definitive account of the COVID pandemic: superbly researched, elegantly written, and with a compellingly argued plea for better multilateral coordination in the future.

Aftershocks is an excellent, very readable account of how the world failed to respond effectively to the pandemic. The authors talked to senior officials from around the world and pull back the veil on the geopolitics of Covid-19.

The first words of the book are “Donal Trump”.

Neat book, however been too busy to read it.

A terrific analysis of governments’ responses to the pandemic. A thorough and thoughtful consideration of the role of international order over the past 18 months and forward looking

Detailed expert analysis of events after the pandemic leading perhaps to a new world order.Gripping account of the pandemic which made it interesting reading.

Get up to speed with what happened, why and when. Who did and didnt and who won and lost.