Kent Harrington: The Spies Who Predicted COVID-19

The Sunday Newsletter [View this message in a web browser]( [PS on Sunday]( APRIL 19, 2020 This week at [Project Syndicate]( Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff call on creditors to suspend emerging and developing economies’ debt payments during the COVID-19 crisis; Patrick Gaspard warns that illiberal leaders and governments are implementing emergency measures that weaken democracy and human rights; Kent Harrington shows how US President Donald Trump’s war on his own intelligence agencies contributed directly to the pandemic’s appalling death toll in America; and more. Join the conversation. Economics & Finance [Suspend Emerging and Developing Economies’ Debt Payments]( [Carmen M. Reinhart]( and [Kenneth Rogoff]( urge multilateral, sovereign, and private lenders to recognize reality and minimize the risk of mass default. Politics & World Affairs [Viral Authoritarianism]( [Patrick Gaspard]( warns that there is no better time than a pandemic for illiberal autocrats to seize and consolidate power. Politics & World Affairs [The Spies Who Predicted COVID-19]( [Kent Harrington]( points out that US intelligence agencies have been warning of a pandemic for at least 12 years. Politics & World Affairs [The Grim Truth About the “Swedish Model”]( [Hans Bergstrom]( explains why the country adopted a lethally misguided approach to COVID-19, resulting in a high death toll. [A Post-COVID-19 Digital Bretton Woods]( On Point [A Post-COVID-19 Digital Bretton Woods]( [Rohinton P. Medhora]( and [Taylor Owen]( explain how to update and expand global governance for the age of the platform economy. Economics & Finance [Saving the Developing World from COVID-19]( [Mohamed A. El-Erian]( warns that the coronavirus threatens to devastate Sub-Saharan Africa and other vulnerable regions. Politics & World Affairs [How Global Public Health Could Revive Multilateralism]( [Arancha González]( sees in the fight against COVID-19 a catalyst for improved international cooperation on other shared threats. [Multilateral Medicine]( Big Picture [Multilateral Medicine]( PS commentators assess prospects for coordinated international action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Health & Development [Could Pandemic Lead to Famine?]( [Martin Ravallion]( shows why lockdowns to combat COVID-19 in developing countries could have disastrous consequences. Economics & Finance [Debt Relief Is the Most Effective Pandemic Aid]( [Gordon Brown]( and [Lawrence H. Summers]( call for a two-year moratorium on payments for every emerging and developing economy that needs help. [Say More: Melvin Sanicas]( Say More Interview [Melvin Sanicas]( argues that we should already be preparing for the next pandemic, corrects a common misconception about COVID-19, and has some recommended reading for anyone using social media. Economics & Finance [Anatomy of the Coronavirus Collapse]( [Eswar Prasad]( and [Ethan Wu]( examine the deteriorating conditions across advanced, emerging, and developing economies. Politics & World Affairs [Blaming China Is a Dangerous Distraction]( [Jim O'Neill]( calls for world leaders to focus on solutions to the coronavirus crisis, rather than crying over spilled milk. Support High-Quality Commentary For more than 25 years, Project Syndicate has been guided by a simple credo: All people deserve access to a broad range of views by the world’s foremost leaders and thinkers on the issues, events, and forces shaping their lives. As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates, and its effects reverberate around the world, that mission is more important than ever – and we remain committed to fulfilling it. But there is no doubt that the intensifying crisis puts us, like so many other organizations, under growing strain. If you are in a position to support us, please [subscribe now](. As a subscriber, you will enjoy unlimited access to our On Point suite of long reads and book reviews, Say More contributor interviews, The Year Ahead magazine, the full PS archive, and more. You will also directly support our mission of delivering the highest-quality commentary on the world’s most pressing issues – including the latest outbreak-related developments – to as wide an audience as possible. By helping us to build a truly open world of ideas, every PS subscriber makes a real difference. Thank you. [SUBSCRIBE NOW]( Project Syndicate publishes and provides, on a not-for-profit basis, original commentary by the world's leading thinkers to more than 500 media outlets in over 150 countries. This newsletter is a service of [Project Syndicate](. [Change your newsletter preferences](. Follow us on [Facebook]( [Twitter]( and [YouTube](. © Project Syndicate, all rights reserved. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters](.