Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

Scholars of geopolitics have been talking about geographical chokepoints for decades. The Strait of Hormuz for oil, Malacca for Asia, and Gibraltar for the Mediterranean are all raised as fine examples of narrow waters that, if blocked, can bring national economies tumbling down. Their strategic values remain paramount, and their controls a matter of national security. The recent blockage of the Suze Canal, a manmade geographical chokepoint, showed just how vulnerable the world economy is when such a narrow body of water is suddenly rendered inaccessible. Billions of dollars of trade are lost and the attention of global media remains fixated on the blockage.

After spending months denying that COVID-19 is a big issue in Tanzania and promising that God will save the country from the epidemic, Tanzanian president John Magufuli was suddenly pronounced dead. His death only comes weeks after his public disappearance, leading to speculation that he was airlifted to Kenya for urgent medical treatment. More than his denial of the seriousness of COVID, Western media made sure to include references to his attacks on Tanzanian democratic institutions and opposition politicians since coming to power in 2015 in their obituaries of Magufuli, implying that his death provided a chance for Tanzania to reverse its democratic decline.

It has already become a cliche to say that the COVID-19 pandemic will be revolutionary for human civilization. Countries keen on securing vaccines and personal protective equipment have worked quietly to roll back globalized supply chains built up over past decades. Differing policies and level of success handling the virus' spread in different countries mean that, at least soon, the physical mingling of a globalized elite will be minimized, as airlines fail and borders shut. What people took for granted as everyday life, such as going to school and commuting to work, will remain somewhat of luxuries that are subject to cancellations and restrictions at any time based on public health concerns.

As the global vaccination efforts against COIVD continue steadily, governments are preparing for how to systematically handle international travel in the post-COVID world. Aside from putting in place measures that detect new cases from incoming travelers, facilities to quarantine, and creating institutions responsible for continued monitoring, governments around the world are seeing a new "vaccination passport" as a way to ensure safe travel on a large scale while minimizing risks of a new contagion. The argument goes that if there is some sort of global standard for assurances of a traveler's inoculation from epidemic diseases, costly prevention measures would become obsolete.