The Impact of Covid-19 on International Politics
5th International Scientific Research Congress (IBAD-2020), İstanbul, Türkiye, 1 - 02 Eylül 2020, ss.116, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: İstanbul
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.116
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Bilecik Şeyh Edebali Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The Covid-19 pandemic has unprecedently taken over the world in less than half a year in early 2020. As well as some global and international measures, countries have essentially relied on nation-wide lockdowns to contain and mitigate the pandemic, managed and administrated by national governments. These lockdowns have not only affected the social life they also severely crippled the economy. Politically, most governments have taken emergency measures to fight against the virus, which could be seen as authoritarianism under normal circumstances. Meanwhile, some anti-lockdown protests have erupted in countries such as the US, the UK, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Austria, South Africa, Poland, Ukraine, Brussels. Some of these demonstrations were organised by far- right groups and they also supported associated leaders like Trump and Bolsonaro. They were generally based on pre-existing structures such as nationalist, populist, anti-vaccine, anti-intellectual, and anti-institutional rhetoric and conspiracy theory-led anti-Semitism (US) and anti-Islamism (UK). The rise of global far-right politics (protectionism, anti-globalisation, opposition to migration) has already been in place since the Global Financial Crisis and 9/11. In this study, given the economic and political outcomes of the pandemic, it is argued that ‘the resilience of nationalism around the far-right politics’ will be strengthened in the post-pandemic world. Methodologically, this study will utilise leaders’ speeches as primary data. The resilience of nationalism and far-right politics will be studied under three subjects: (1) economic nationalism, (2) authoritarian populism, and (3) anti-institutional rhetoric. To do so, various examples from the US, the UK, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Austria, South Africa, Poland, Ukraine, and Brussels will be examined. The results of this study can be concluded in three points. First, economic nationalism is on the rise. International trade has affected severely and as a result, this gave a push to the economic nationalist discourse within the countries. Second, authoritarian populism did not take a hit from the pandemic, instead it is safe to argue that most authoritarian populist leaders/regimes will outlive the pandemic. Finally, third, one of the features of populism, anti-institutional rhetoric has strengthened during the pandemic and there is a rise in the anti-vaccine and anti- Semitic/Islamic rhetoric vis-à-vis the spread of the pandemic.