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In terms of international politics, how has Europe's response to the COVID-19 pandemic reflected on its relationships with other global players?

Argie Tomicki

I think Europe's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on its relationships with other global players in terms of international politics. At the start of the pandemic, many countries looked towards Europe for guidance and leadership on how to tackle the virus, given that it had already hit the continent quite hard.

However, I think Europe's response has been quite mixed. There have been some countries that have handled the pandemic very well, such as Germany, which has been praised for its early testing and contact tracing measures. On the other hand, there have been other countries that have struggled, such as Italy and Spain, which were hit particularly hard in the early stages of the pandemic and struggled to contain the virus.

I think this has had an impact on how other countries view Europe as a whole. There has been criticism of the lack of coordination within the European Union, with some countries accusing others of acting selfishly and putting their own interests ahead of the collective good. This has certainly not helped Europe's relationships with other global players, particularly in terms of international cooperation.

Moreover, Europe's response to the pandemic has also highlighted existing fault lines within the EU, particularly between northern and southern member states. There has been a lot of discussion about the need for a coordinated economic response to the pandemic, particularly in terms of supporting those countries that have been hit the hardest. However, there has been resistance from some northern member states, who are wary of taking on too much debt to finance a collective recovery plan.

Overall, I think Europe's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a mixed bag, with some countries faring better than others. However, I think there have also been broader issues around coordination and cooperation within the EU that have been exposed by the pandemic, which could have longer-term implications for Europe's relationships with other global players.