It would be charitable to describe the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as sloppy and uncoordinated. Thankfully, there is a model for an epic national comeback. It dates back to the weeks following the attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941, when President Roosevelt created the War Production Board, one of the most dynamic public-private partnerships in history. The US entered World War II woefully unprepared. It possessed staggering economic power, but almost none

The coronavirus outbreak is grabbing global headlines. It first appeared in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, in December 2019 and spread to East and South Asia -- including South Korea, Japan and Singapore. In only three months, virus infections have spread to almost all countries and territories around the world -- Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. Many countries have tried to prevent travelers from coronavirus hot spots from entering with immigration and flight restrictions. But it

South Korea has been recognized internationally for the effectiveness of its response to the novel coronavirus pandemic and impact of the COVID-19 disease. As the number of cases continue to rise in the US, what lessons can America take from South Korea? Drive-through testing: Korea created a highly efficient system of drive-through COVID-19 test centers that have helped the nation of 51 million perform fast and extensive testing. With a capacity to test up to 15,000 patients daily, the expans

For the people of a growing number of countries, the coronavirus outbreak is no longer something they read about in the news or on TV as the virus spreads to their cities, communities, and even families. COVID-19 has already evolved into a full-blown global public health crisis: the confirmed cases of infection outside of China grew to over 115,000 as of March 18, with the death toll exceeding 4,700. The World Health Organization has already declared it as a global pandemic. While much attenti

About three weeks ago, I watched a news segment online showing Japanese shoppers rushing to buy toilet paper. Shelves were stripped bare quickly across Japan. The reason for the panic buying was allegedly linked to the fatal coronavirus pandemic. A sense of urgency hit my brain. Wait, what if I run out of precious toilet paper at home? If an emergency happens in relation to my bodily functions, should I hail a taxi and speed through the now eerily quiet Seoul streets to go to the office wher

Christine Lagarde warned European leaders last week that the COVID-19 epidemic risked pushing the economy into a new 2008-style crisis. So far, the response from politicians to the president of the European Central Bank has been late and insufficient. The elements for a comprehensive response are clear: Governments should unleash a large-scale fiscal stimulus, while the ECB launches a credible and sizeable bond-buying program to ensure there is no adverse market reaction. The euro zone may even

President Donald Trump’s intention to persuade China to play by long-established international trade rules is commendable. But focusing on the US trade deficit with China, and imposing tariffs to eliminate it, has proven ineffective. Now, the coronavirus has given Trump an opportunity to shelve that failed strategy and immediately eliminate tariffs on Chinese imports. This shot in the arm will likely be reciprocated by China, stimulate our economies, and give Trump the opportunity to cha

Amid the growing concerns of COVID-19 spread in South Korea, international schools are planning and have instituted online learning programs that were rolled out to all students during school closure. Now a global pandemic, international schools in Seoul, are in their fourth week of online learning. Dwight’s online learning program’s stated mission is to harness innovative technologies while keeping its core principles in mind -- personalized learning, global vision, and community,

As global supply chains break, airlines slash flights, borders rise within nation-states, stock exchanges convulse with fear, and recession looms over economies, from China to Germany, Australia to the United States, we can no longer doubt that we are living through extraordinary times. What remains in question, however, is our ability to comprehend them while using a vocabulary derived from decades when globalization seemed a fact of nature, like air and wind. For the coronavirus signals a rad

Like the eye of a hurricane, the epicenter of coronavirus disease COVID-19 has shifted from Asia to Europe, bringing with it a rising toll of infections, deaths and economic damage. After a messy few weeks in which the region’s leaders seemed incapable of hitting on a common response to the crisis -- which has hit health care, consumer confidence and financial markets all at once -- last weekend marked a turning point. France and Spain announced draconian steps, similar to those seen in v

First the NBA postponed its season, with no immediate resumption in sight, and then March Madness was canceled. Broadway has been shuttered, along with other public entertainments across the country, Disneyland included. These are prudent if belated steps. Nonetheless a question arises: If every empire needs bread and circuses, where will Americans turn for the latter? Which public spectacles will keep us all distracted? One obvious response is the internet. For younger generations especially,

Ostensibly, the 2020 Academy Award-winning South Korean film “Parasite” seems to depict the problems of a polarized society here, sharply divided between the rich and the poor. That was why Korean left-wing politicians hailed the movie as a victory of socialism over capitalism and tried to use the movie’s international recognition for political gain so that they can win the upcoming election in April. After watching the movie, however, viewers realize that such a view is only

Hospitals often speak of what’s called “surge capacity” -- the ability to absorb a sudden influx of patients because of a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, or even, yes, a pandemic. Given the possible influx of patients sickened by the new coronavirus, how much of a surge can U.S. hospitals accommodate? Not as much as you might think. For years, cost-conscious hospitals have emulated the lean, just-in-time principles that have revolutionized manufacturing. The result has b

It is a cliche of our times to hail something as a tipping point -- a happening that will change something forever. And what Americans experienced throughout Wednesday really didn’t happen in a way that felt like we’d been through a suddenly sensational tipping point. What it felt like, at day’s end, was a more subtle sensation of change that built slowly throughout the day. By nighttime, we began to individually sense that what we had just seen and sensed was a day in which w