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Is Paranoia the Key to Pandemic Preparedness?
Article

Is Paranoia the Key to Pandemic Preparedness?

Hypervigilance Beats Preparation for Unpredictable Crises



Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Eye Opening
  • Bold

Recommendation

Early in 2020, the global leaders who attended the World Economic Forum in Davos were unaware that the 2021 and 2022 in-person meetings wouldn’t happen. Just as they agreed that climate change was humanity’s most imminent threat, a lethal, contagious virus was already spreading. Focusing on one disaster risks ignoring others, like wars, earthquakes or early-stage pandemics, historian Niall Ferguson warns in Foreign Affairs. His illuminating article approaches disaster preparedness in an expansive, unconventional way.

Take-Aways

  • Predicting the next disaster is difficult.
  • Governments’ advance preparedness for disaster remains limited.
  • Paranoia and rigor are the best policies in the face of potential disasters.

About the Author

Niall Ferguson, the author of Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe, is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.


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