/108/ Coronageddon? ft. Mark Honigsbaum / Lee Jones

On pandemics, panics, and China.

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus is yet another new epidemic to appear on the scene this century. What accounts for their increasing frequency, and who decides if an epidemic is classed as a pandemic? More importantly, what governs that choice? The WHO and the whole intergovernmental management of health has 'securitised' these questions. Are they privileging the free flow of capital over public health? And what of China's draconian response and lockdown of Wuhan - is it effective? And who will bear the blame if things go wrong? Might Coronavirus become a threat to Xi Jingping and the Chinese regime?

Readings: 

• ‘Rumormonger’ Doctor Who Raised the Alarm Says He Has Coronavirus, Sixth Tone
• 'Hero who told the truth': Chinese rage over coronavirus death of whistleblower doctor, The Guardian
• The Free Market Isn’t Up to the Coronavirus Challenge, Leigh Phillips, Jacobin
• Locked-down Wuhan and why we always overplay the threat of the new, Kenan Malik, The Guardian
• Coronavirus: nature fights back, Michael Roberts blog

Guests' books:

Mark Honigsbaum: The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris

Lee Jones (& Shahar Hameiri): Governing Borderless Threats: Non-Traditional Security and the Politics of State Transformation

Running order:

• (00:44) Introduction
• (06:21) Mark Honigsbaum
• (38:48) Lee Jones