Political Leadership in Covid-19 Crisis - Coursework Example

Political Leadership in Covid-19 Crisis

The covid-19 crisis has been one of the most upsetting health crisis in the history of humanity since the Spanish Flu. While Spanish Flu is estimated to have infected five hundred million people, leading to deaths of twenty to fifty million people, the Covid-19 crisis has not reached such levels. However, it is the covid-19. It is feared to affect many people if stringent measures do not get appropriately executed. Unlike the Spanish flu pandemic, which affected only parts of Europe, America, and Asia, covid-19 has hit the whole world. All over the world, each country has been putting in place different measures to fight the pandemic. In light of the above, this paper looks into three countries to find out how the top political leaders have demonstrated their leadership during this Covid-19 crisis. The countries include the United States of America, Germany, and china. The United States and Germany are democracies, while China is an autocracy. Therefore, the leadership exhibited by the three countries gets expected to vary.

The United States [President Trump]

The United States' President Trump has gotten immense criticism for his casual attitude towards the pandemic. The covid-19 pandemic has exposed president trump as a man lacking in leadership, especially in times of s crisis of this magnitude. The president remains unconcerned about the virus while behaving as if everything is normal. Since the pandemic began, a president who gets seemingly focused on his re-election has held campaign rallies all over America. Notably, there have been rallies in South and North Carolina, which the president used to downplay the potential severity of the virus.

Further, most of the people attending the rallies do not take any preventive measures against the virus. For instance, the rally attendees do masks although scientific study indicating the cover reduces the risk of infection and transmission. Nevertheless, despite the rally attendees openly flaunting the safety measures, president trump has not made any attempts to encourage them to wear the masks.

Additionally, president trump has called the virus the mere Flu that shall disappear once the weather becomes hot. Also, the president has attacked democrats accusing them of making the virus to appear bigger and deadlier. Trump had also dismissed the pandemic as a Chinese virus focused on disrupting America's economic progress. Generally, Americans hold that Trump has lost control of the covid-19 crisis. A while back, Trump was pictured playing golf when Americans expected him to be locked the oval office deliberating on ways to contain the spread of the virus.

Further, the president has been contradicting covid-19 statements released by qualified medical personnel. For instance, president trump made utterances that a popular malaria drug known as hydroxychloroquine can stop covid-19 infection. Seeing that Trump is the president, most Americans believe him more than they do the doctors.

On 7th July 7, 2020, the Governor of New York Mark Cuomo called out the president for misleading Americans. Governor Cuomo called out the president to ignore professional medical doctors' opinions and rely on his unproven tales about the corona. Cuomo also accused Trump of implanting the casual attitude in Americans' minds by claiming corona does not kill a lot of people. The fact that the disease kills even one person should be the sole reason Americans should be severe. Particularly, governor Cuomo ridiculed the claims by the president that America has high numbers of sick people due to testing. Trump claims appeared to suggest that the virus shall disappear if testing stops. Suffice to say that president trump's handling of the pandemic has been despicable. The president has left Americans confused at a time when everyone is looking at him for leadership.

Germany [Angela Merkel]

The fantastic handling of the covid-19 pandemic has revived chancellor Merkel's political star in Germany. At the start of the covid-19 crisis, various pundits had dismissed Merkel as a lame duck in Germany politics. Admittedly, the chancellor a bit unsure of the course to take following the outbreak. However, the hundreds of deaths happening in Italy made Merkel rise and take charge. Just like the United States, Germany is also a federal nation. The implication being that Merkel had a considerable task to get the leaders of the sixteen German states who hold immense power to cooperate in fighting the pandemic. However, unlike the Trump administration's uncoordinated approach, Merkel found it prudent to work with all the stakeholders in the health sector. Notably, being a scientist by training played a vital role in how the chancellor addressed the crisis.

Realizing the seriousness pandemic, Merkel's seriousness made a frantic call to the Germans through a state of the national television address delivered on 18th March 2020. In the address Merkel, she grew up in East Germany, where freedom was hard to come therefore she understands what losing various freedoms during the lockdown meant. However, she urged Germans to take the containment measures positively since corona is real. The chancellor combined her pragmatic address with strong emotional appeal meant to show Germans the gravity of the task that faces them as a nation. Merkel urged Germans to unite in the fight against the covid-19 challenge that Germany was facing.

Secondly, Merkel brought virologists, the health minister together to offer daily updates to Germans relating to the pandemic. Further, the chancellor brought on board Robert Koch institute, the country's top public health institute to advises the government on how to handle the crisis. Merkel's efforts helped Germany to manage the crisis before it turned into a full blown crisis. Notably, the German leader employed a highly critical and analytical approach to the crisis where she weighed every possible option. She also gathered the country’s university medical departments into one corona virus task force. Since merkel used experts the information relayed to the public was believable. The honesty shown by the chancellor and her team of doctors served to persuade Germans to continue following the rules and to remain calm. The approach by the German leaders gained her immense respect both domestically and internationally. Newspapers in America are filled with articles criticizing president Trump on one hand while quoting and praising chancellor Merkel on the other. Merkel’s approach has helped Germans not to sink into uncertainty and fear that is very likely during the covid-19 crisis.

China [Xi Jinping]

President Xi Jinping of china has been very involved in the efforts to contain the covid-19 crisis in china. In the recent past the president has appeared to the state television to assure Chinese citizens that everything is getting done to deal with the outbreak. During the televised address the president declared that he was responsible for every aspect of the response to the pandemic. The president informed the citizens that the lockdown was to continue to avoid spreading the virus. Firstly, president Jinping came to an agreement with the doctors that the priority was on ensuring the mild patients do not get critically ill.

Notably, President’s Jinping leadership of the response to the covid-19 has been hailed as largely successful. Jinping ensured that strict quarantine, surveillance measures were put in place to aid in the fight against the crisis. Initially, the public got angry over the strict lockdown measures but eventually they developed feelings of nationalism. The citizens understood that the government was doing everything it had to do to eliminate the virus for the benefit of everyone. The efforts to contain the virus have gotten setbacks from reemergence of the virus in areas that it had been previously eliminated. However, president Jinping is confident that his country will beat the tough challenge and become corona virus free.

China has been blamed for sickening the whole world by not acting promptly when it first received news of the virus. Li Wenliang who was a doctor in Wuhan discovered the disease in a patient and alerted other doctors. Unfortunately, the state refused to believe him and the police made him sign a statement stating that he had spread false news to the public. However, Wenliang was exonerated when it became apparent that corona was real. By the time of Wenliang exoneration he had already contracted the disease and he succumbed to the infection. Commentators believe that had china acted early enough following the discovery of the virus, maybe they could have managed it before it spread all over the world.

The Cultural Differences

The three countries that are subject of this study that is; the United States, Germany and china, have different cultural practices. Therefore, the cultural differences have played a huge role in the handling of the covid-19 pandemic. Firstly, the United States is a highly individualistic society. In America the notion of a societal living is almost non-existence and this has interfered with the efforts to contain the disease. For instance during the initial stages when corona virus was first reported Americans were seen rushing into supermarkets to stock toilet papers, soaps and food stuffs without caring whether they finished it for others. The over-stocking of commodities may finished their supply in the market meaning that some people were exposed if they lacked things such as a soap to wash their hands. On the other hand, china is a collective culture where group interests are considered above individual interests. The fact that Chinese care about each other may assist them in developing creative methods to overcome the pandemic.

Further, on indulgence both united states and Germany rank higher than china. Notably, a culture where people are taught how to control their urges is called a restrained culture, whereas a culture that has less control is known as indulgence. People with a restrained culture are not very concerned about leisure and gratification of their desires. On the other hand indulgence culture like that of Germany flourish on leisure and gratification. The implication is that indulgence cultures may find it very difficult to restrain people at their homes during the corona lockdown.

Further, the president has been contradicting covid-19 statements released by qualified medical personnel. For instance, president trump made utterances that a popular malaria drug known as hydroxychloroquine can stop covid-19 infection. Seeing that Trump is the president, most Americans believe him more than they do the doctors.

On 7th July 7, 2020, the Governor of New York Mark Cuomo called out the president for misleading Americans. Governor Cuomo called out the president to ignore professional medical doctors' opinions and rely on his unproven tales about the corona. Cuomo also accused Trump of implanting the casual attitude in Americans' minds by claiming corona does not kill a lot of people. The fact that the disease kills even one person should be the sole reason Americans should be severe. Particularly, governor Cuomo ridiculed the claims by the president that America has high numbers of sick people due to testing. Trump claims appeared to suggest that the virus shall disappear if testing stops. Suffice to say that president trump's handling of the pandemic has been despicable. The president has left Americans confused at a time when everyone is looking at him for leadership.

Germany [Angela Merkel]

The fantastic handling of the covid-19 pandemic has revived chancellor Merkel's political star in Germany. At the start of the covid-19 crisis, various pundits had dismissed Merkel as a lame duck in Germany politics. Admittedly, the chancellor a bit unsure of the course to take following the outbreak. However, the hundreds of deaths happening in Italy made Merkel rise and take charge. Just like the United States, Germany is also a federal nation. The implication being that Merkel had a considerable task to get the leaders of the sixteen German states who hold immense power to cooperate in fighting the pandemic. However, unlike the Trump administration's uncoordinated approach, Merkel found it prudent to work with all the stakeholders in the health sector. Notably, being a scientist by training played a vital role in how the chancellor addressed the crisis.

Realizing the seriousness pandemic, Merkel's seriousness made a frantic call to the Germans through a state of the national television address delivered on 18th March 2020. In the address Merkel, she grew up in East Germany, where freedom was hard to come therefore she understands what losing various freedoms during the lockdown meant. However, she urged Germans to take the containment measures positively since corona is real. The chancellor combined her pragmatic address with strong emotional appeal meant to show Germans the gravity of the task that faces them as a nation. Merkel urged Germans to unite in the fight against the covid-19 challenge that Germany was facing.

Secondly, Merkel brought virologists, the health minister together to offer daily updates to Germans relating to the pandemic. Further, the chancellor brought on board Robert Koch institute, the country's top public health institute to advises the government on how to handle the crisis. Merkel's efforts helped Germany to manage the crisis before it turned into a full blown crisis. Notably, the German leader employed a highly critical and analytical approach to the crisis where she weighed every possible option. She also gathered the country’s university medical departments into one corona virus task force. Since merkel used experts the information relayed to the public was believable. The honesty shown by the chancellor and her team of doctors served to persuade Germans to continue following the rules and to remain calm. The approach by the German leaders gained her immense respect both domestically and internationally. Read More