COVID-19 first appeared in China and soon became a global pandemic, but the polities of East Asia have been relatively successful in containing it.  Some African states adopted harsh measures to suppress the pathogen while others drew on experience with AIDS and Ebola to mount effective responses.  Although a wealthy and technologically developed country, the U.S. has been notably ineffective in responding to the pandemic.  This symposium will explore these contradictions and complexities.  It will also discuss the decline in positive international cooperation, which puts all of humanity at risk, and will expose ways states are cooperating to exploit the pandemic to do harm.

Online—registration required.  Email dussourd@buffalo.edu to register.

Sponsors: Alison Des Forges Memorial Committee; University at Buffalo: Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy; Confucius Institute; Department of Comparative Literature; Gender Institute; Humanities Institute; James Agee Chair in American Culture; Office of Global Health Initiatives, School of Public Health and Health Professions; Office of the Vice Provost for International Education

For more information, visit https://www.alisondesforges.org/upcoming-events

This symposium honors the life and work of human rights activist Alison Des Forges (1942-2009).