Implications for democracy, militarism and international relations

Epidemics have altered the course of history in more ways than one since they have given rise to certain socio-political and cultural developments. They produce specific vulnerabilities and issues in every society. As a crisis, Covid-19 is helping governments, even in democratic countries, to curtail civil liberties and violate human rights. It has assisted the rise of fascism and given governments a pretext for intensifying the war on cash for the benefit of Big Brother and the banking oligarchy. It has provided justification for mass surveillance. In this respect, governments seem to have become Machiavellian, in the sense of "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste", as suggested by Rahm Emanuel shortly after his appointment as chief of staff to President-Elect Barack Obama.