The US has responded poorly to the Indian crisis. Leaving aside the humanitarian aspects, geopolitical considerations should see the US exporting a considerable proportion of its vaccine production to India, along with medical supplies.
The US is trying to stave off a challenge from China. Obama sought to solidify a bloc of Pacific nations united by the Trans-Pacific Partnership. By offering Asian countries economic incentives, those countries would have an economic reason to join a political union to resist China. But the dumbasses in the US were outraged it didn’t exploit those countries, using the economic power of the US to extract rents that were the privilege of colonial powers. Then Trump made this explicit with his America First agenda. That provided an opening for the Chinese Belt & Road program.
Fortunately, Xi has alienated neighbours with his preference for exercising hard rather than soft power. India had been trying to play both sides of the fence but has been angered by border skirmishes with the Chinese military. It had responded by organising naval exercises in its waters with US & Japanese forces. The Covid crisis in India presents a perfect opportunity to draw India further into a bloc resisting Chinese aggression.
And such an investment would hardly be a wasteful use of US resources when compared to the history of the US putting money into the pockets of dictators. It would be the right thing to do for humanitarian reasons and would benefit the US and the world in the mission to control Covid.
The US is trying to stave off a challenge from China. Obama sought to solidify a bloc of Pacific nations united by the Trans-Pacific Partnership. By offering Asian countries economic incentives, those countries would have an economic reason to join a political union to resist China. But the dumbasses in the US were outraged it didn’t exploit those countries, using the economic power of the US to extract rents that were the privilege of colonial powers. Then Trump made this explicit with his America First agenda. That provided an opening for the Chinese Belt & Road program.
Fortunately, Xi has alienated neighbours with his preference for exercising hard rather than soft power. India had been trying to play both sides of the fence but has been angered by border skirmishes with the Chinese military. It had responded by organising naval exercises in its waters with US & Japanese forces. The Covid crisis in India presents a perfect opportunity to draw India further into a bloc resisting Chinese aggression.
And such an investment would hardly be a wasteful use of US resources when compared to the history of the US putting money into the pockets of dictators. It would be the right thing to do for humanitarian reasons and would benefit the US and the world in the mission to control Covid.