Adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

Byline: Afshan Subohi

A DISRUPTION of the magnitude of Covid-19 is a new experience. Death and destruction will force change. What this change is going to be like will depend on, among multiple factors, the lessons learned.

The crisis has exposed the limitations of the notion of power based on military might. It has also busted the myth of the free market and its capacity to take care of problems on its own strength. Despite the vertical drop in travelling, the common global threat has drawn the world closer spiritually. Traffic on social media has jumped as denizens are sharing their anxieties and grieving collectively for the loss of life and livelihood. Covid-19 has expedited the digitisation trend.

Today, the spotlight is back on the basics: freedom from want and getting prepared to deal with unknown threats. In a market-based globalised world, the value of a credible government has become too obvious for anyone to challenge. The pandemic has highlighted the value of global collaboration.

The glamourised nuclear capability, piles of costly arms and powerful military establishments did not stop the pandemic from destroying lives and economies. On the other hand, all the wealth stacked by the elite failed to buy them immunity from Covid-19. The collective experience of the past two months has demonstrated that the conventional concepts of power are meaningless in dealing with new forms of threats. Will this dilute the obsession with the security doctrine and disrupt the wild chase of the privileged to amass wealth by hook or crook?

For every rupee doled out to the people at the bottom of the social pyramid, many times more is set aside for the greedy lot at the top'

Sartaj Aziz, PML-N leader and former finance minister responded: 'this pandemic is not likely to dilute our obsession with security, nor unfortunately, the chase for wealth and assets.'

Dr Nadeem Javed, the former chief economist, Planning Commission, had a different take. 'The post-pandemic era will witness a dramatic transformation of the economic and social order. The rise of the virtual economy will vastly change structures, consumer behaviour and institutional configurations across the globe.

'Regarding the security paradigm, I would say the hollowness of the existing doctrine has been exposed. It is, therefore, important to divert military budget towards citizens' education, health and wellbeing. Sadly, I am sceptical if any state is ready to move in the direction...

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