Creating humanitarian crisis that challenge international institutions

A global pandemic such as COVID-19 could create humanitarian crises that challenge the legitimacy of international organizations and institutions. The coronavirus created a humanitarian crisis in some countries, particularly in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, which had strained international resources and raised questions about how to best respond. The pandemic also resulted in widespread human suffering and a humanitarian crisis on an international scale. It also had a significant impact on international relations, with countries around the world struggling to cope with the outbreak (Askary & Fallah, 2020). The pandemic highlighted the need for greater international cooperation to effectively address global challenges. It also exposed the shortcomings of the international response to previous pandemics, such as the SARS virus.

Furthermore, COVID-19 impacted conventional ways of theorizing International Relations by putting a lot of strain on political and social structures. The development of COVID-19 in China led to an anti-Beijing demonstrations in Hong Kong. Government-citizen relations may be strained by the pandemic’s economic and public health effects, particularly where health services were compromised. For example, Ukraine and China had a frosty relationship at the epitome of coronavirus due to claims that some of the evacuees from Wuhan, China, were infected, resulting to demonstrators in Ukraine damaging buses carrying the refugees.

Damage to International Crisis Management

Populations of refugees and internally displaced people were anticipated to be particularly susceptible to COVID-19. The illness may seriously impede the ability of international organizations to assist regions impacted by armed conflict. WHO and other international officials were worried that the restrictions may disrupt the flow of aid and put a strain on more than just humanitarian organizations in the global system. For instance, due to airport closures, UN envoys operating in the Middle East were unable to enter or exit the region. Regional organizations also halted diplomatic efforts in regions in West Africa.

Additionally, the pandemic interfered with international efforts at security cooperation and peacekeeping. Due to worries about the spread of COVID-19, the UN secretariat requested in early 2020 that a group of nine nations that provide peacekeeping troops, stop some or all unit rotations (UN, 2020). The UN announced additional restrictions on rotations, which meant the suspension of all peace-keeping missions in countries like the Central African Republic and South Sudan, which could have an impact on their morale and effectiveness. Media outlets and NGOs also struggled to report on conflict and emergencies owing to travel restrictions. As a result, international organizations struggled to tackle the situation. Some authoritarian regimes appeared eager to use the crisis to impose restrictions on media freedom. For instance, Egypt reprimanded foreign journalists for their coverage of the epidemic, stripping a Guardian reporter of their credentials, while China deported a number of top American correspondents.

Another cause for concern in global pandemic such as COVID-19 is the obvious ability to incite xenophobic attitudes, especially in nations with sizable immigrant populations. Some Western politicians, most notably President Donald Trump, made jokes about the “Chinese virus” in an effort to incite hostility toward Beijing. There is anecdotal evidence that prejudice against people of Chinese ancestry rose in the United States and other Western nations. There were major risks that the pandemic will incite more anti-foreigner and racist violence.

Based on the above deliberations, it was evident that the global pandemic exposed the long-standing racism and racial inequality, deeply rooted in the society, which impacts international relations. Some possible explanations for how COVID-19 might have played a role in triggering racism in international relations include: The outbreak of COVID-19 in China led to a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment across the globe, which in turn contributed to increased xenophobia and racism. Further, the outbreak of COVID-19 led to a surge in conspiracy theories about the virus and its origins, which may have fueled mistrust and suspicion of others based on their ethnicity or national origin. Finally, the spread of COVID-19 highlighted existing disparities in health and social care between different groups of people, which may have contributed to increased feelings of isolation and discrimination. Zvobgo and Loken (2020) indicated that racism can have a number of impacts on international relations. It can fuel conflict between nations, as well as contribute to human rights violations and other forms of discrimination. Racism can also lead to a lack of understanding a