Politics, Policy, and the Pandemic

Abstract

Covid-19 represents the ultimate “black swan” of our time—a catastrophic event that has put the entire world in a tailspin. With no clear in sight, this devastating pandemic that has claimed lives, paralyzed economies, and literally stopped everyone and everything in suspended animation. Politics and policy, however, have been pushed to the frontlines of this global pandemic. Responses of states and international organizations have so far revealed a varying mix of political considerations and informed policy. Some governments, particularly those that are relatively more successful in mitigating the impact of the pandemic, faithfully resorted to past learnings as they were more prepared and informed. In contrast, a few governments continued to resort to politicking, repression, and denial despite the harrowing consequences of Covid-19 to the lives of their people. This variation in responses to this pandemic is clearly seen in Asia. In the coming months, we can expect that states will continue to swing in the pendulum of politics (bad policy) or policy (good politics) as they move forward in dealing with Covid-19. APP hopes to be a venue for discussions on what the repercussions of Covid-19 on politics and policy in Asia. In the meantime, this April issue contains a fascinating mix of relevant research topics and themes. On the surface, the theme of fostering strategic relations between small states as discussed by the articles authored by Nicole Jenne as well as Sofie Hamdi and Mohammad Salman. Jenne discusses the potential of Chile as a diplomatic bridge between Southeast Asia and Latin America while Hamdi and Salman problematized the foreign policy choices of small Gulf states as they balance their relations between two “elephants”—Iran and Saudi Arabia. Scholars focusing on small and middle power diplomacy is a breath of research fresh air since major powers continue to occupy the bulk of the international relations literature. It is a pleasure to feature these two articles as we expect that small states have and will continue to matter in the future. A second recurring theme for this issue is democratization and national identity. The rest of the original articles representing research from India, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines covered this broad area by examining different aspects of political reform, electoral politics, and national integration. These studies are ripe with significant recommendations for public policy that other countries can benefit and learn from. In future APP issues, these aspects of politics and public policy will necessarily have to be re-thought given the likely consequences of Covid-19. Finally, I write this Editor’s introduction with a heavy heart. For the past decade, APP has been under the caring and effective leadership of its editor-in-chief, Aileen San Pablo-Baviera. We lost Aileen due to complications from Covid-19 in March 21, 2020. As a tireless and diligent worker, she selflessly continued to work on the April issue until her last days. Known primarily as the preeminent Filipino Sinologist, the entire world lost a prolific scholar and an academic leader. In the Praxis issue, APP pays tribute to its editor-in-chief through a biographical essay. Janus Nolasco, a colleague of Aileen in the University of the Philippines Asian Center, was on point in titling the essay A World Without Fences. It truly represented Aileen’s life work—as a rare scholar who traversed the worlds of academe and policy with ease, grace, humility, and rigor. But it also exemplified her vision that guided her multiple roles: a longing for a peaceful, stable, and kinder world. This tribute to Aileen also re-publishes her last works. The two essays focused on how to improve Philippine foreign and security policy in the midst of strategic uncertainty. Until the end, there was no doubt that Aileen remained true to her devotion as a Filipino. We thank the original publishers of these pieces—the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and the East Asia Forum—for generously allowing us to republish Aileen’s essays. The entire Editorial Team of APP dedicates this issue in the memory and honor of Aileen San Pablo-Baviera.