Category: pandemic prevention

Why Legislators Should Reject the WHO’s Proposals for Pandemics

Commentary Democracies and sane societies are built on rationalism and honesty. They may not always exhibit this, but these values must underpin major decisions. Without them, neither democracy nor justice are sustainable. They are replaced by a structure in which the few dictate to the many, and the excesses of feudalism, slavery, or fascism rise…


The Most Dangerous International Treaty Ever Proposed

Commentary Human history is a story of forgotten lessons. Despite the catastrophic collapse of European democracy in the 1930s, it appears that the tale of the twentieth century—in which citizens, cowed by existential threats, acquiesced in the rejection of liberty and truth in favour of obedience and propaganda, whilst allowing despotic leaders to seize ever…


Sam Bankman-Fried and the Pandemic Industrial Complex

Commentary The collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried and his fraudulent cryptocurrency empire at FTX is news at its most entertaining. Who doesn’t love the story of a bigshot billionaire revealed to be an outright fraud? It’s black-and-white. FTX owes billions in debt and doesn’t actually own a dime of the assets it claimed. Game over. At…


Australia Commits $50 Million to Global Pandemic Fund

Australia has pledged $50 million (US$33.4 million) to the new Pandemic Fund, a new global fund launched by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali on Nov. 13. The Pandemic Fund, hosted by the World Bank, is the result of global lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, designed to improve preparedness capabilities for future pandemic threats…


Who Is Driving the Pandemic Express?

Commentary Skeptics of the growing “pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response” (PPR) agenda celebrated recently, heralding a perceived “defeat” of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) controversial amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR). Although the proposed amendments would have undoubtedly expanded the WHO’s powers, this focus on the WHO reflects a narrow view of global health…


Suzhou Students Outraged When Their Apartments Are Emptied to Become Quarantine Sites

Because of a recent Covid surge in Suzhou, an economic hub west of Shanghai, the local authorities expropriated campus apartments so they could be used as quarantine facilities. However, the authorities failed to notify the tenants—students who were shocked that their personal belongings were removed without their consent. With schools scheduled to open on Feb. 21,…