International and National Security, Relative Power Positions and Global Governance: Responses to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

This article deals with the challenges that global governance has been enduring in the 21st century and focuses on the role of the novel coronavirus pandemic over its institutions. The discussion begins with an overview of global governance, emphasizing the theoretic dichotomy in international relations literature over whether the liberal international order is dissipating or not. This will set the stage for the analysis of both national and international responses to the Covid 19 public health crisis. The article highlights how the interaction between national policies translate to the international behavior of states by linking the domestic-foreign policy divide from a qualitative perspective. As a case study, the article analyses the World Health Organization as a prime example of a global governance institution in the international system. For comparison purposes regarding the national aspect, this analysis takes the examples of the Unites States of America, China, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Turkey and the United Kingdom as instances where national responses to the crisis translate into their international stance.