The coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every country in the world. It has disrupted the lives of billions of people. The development and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines has been positive. However, while some countries have secured billions of doses others struggle to obtain supplies. We’ve seen cases of “vaccine nationalism” as some countries hoard vaccines and make them available to their citizens and also “vaccine diplomacy” by countries using vaccine distribution to help others while advancing their standing in the international community. In light of these trends, how do we develop a global strategy for dealing with the pandemic? Should vaccines be considered a public good rather than a market commodity? Are there global vaccine distribution programs – and can they be scaled up to meet global demand?
The American Council on Germany and 1014 hosted a discussion about differing global approaches to vaccine distribution. Featuring Thomas J. Bollyky, Director of the Global Health Program and Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Prof. Dr. Anna Holzscheiter, Chair of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science at the Technical University Dresden, and Head of the Governance for Global Health Research Group at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB); and Dr. Moritz Rudolf, Associate in the Asia Department of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).
THIS CONVERSATION IS PART OF A SERIES CO-HOSTED BY 1014 AND THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON GERMANY. VIEW ALL RECORDINGS OF THE SERIES HERE.
Thomas J. Bollyky is the Director of the Global Health Program and Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University. He is the author of Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways. Mr. Bollyky’s work has appeared in general interest publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Atlantic as well as scholarly journals such as Foreign Affairs, Science, the Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. He has testified multiple times before the U.S. Senate and served on three expert committees at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and as the co-chair of its workshop on globalization and international regulatory harmonization.
Prof. Dr. Anna Holzscheiter is the Chair of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science at the Technical University Dresden and Head of the Governance for Global Health Research Group at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). She has been researching in the field of global health policy for many years, with a focus on the emergence, impact and change of international organizations as well as the manifold relationships between (inter)governmental and societal actors in international politics. During the Covid-19 crisis she has been a sought-after interview partner by Deutschlandfunk Nova, radioeins, Deutsche Welle, and the German newspaper taz. She also opinion pieces on international health policy and the WHO.
Dr. Moritz Rudolf is an Associate in the Asia Department of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), where he focuses on China, international law, political systems, and regional cooperation and alliances. Previously, he was a Researcher at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. He holds a doctorate in International Law from the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he wrote his dissertation on the historical, political, and international legal aspects of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).