Humanity needs to make a choice. First and foremost, in order to defeat the virus we need to share information globally. That’s the big advantage of humans over viruses. A rich country with few coronavirus cases should be willing to send precious equipment to a poorer country with many cases, trusting that if and when it subsequently needs help, other countries will come to its assistance. Normally, trust that has been eroded for years cannot be rebuilt overnight. Suspending all international travel for months will cause tremendous hardships, and hamper the war against coronavirus. Countries should be willing to share information openly and humbly seek advice, and should be able to trust the data and the insights they receive. And if I could access and analyse reliable statistics on the spread of coronavirus, I would be able to judge whether the government is telling me the truth and whether it is adopting the right policies to combat the epidemic. The War of Independence has long been won, but Israel never declared the emergency over, and has failed to abolish many of the “temporary” measures of 1948 (the emergency pudding decree was mercifully abolished in 2011). A collective paralysis has gripped the international community. What an Italian doctor discovers in Milan in the early morning might well save lives in Tehran by evening. While these countries have made some use of tracking applications, they have relied far more on extensive testing, on honest reporting, and on the willing co-operation of a well-informed public. If we choose global solidarity, it will be a victory not only against the coronavirus, but against all future epidemics and crises that might assail humankind in the 21st century. If we choose disunity, this will not only prolong the crisis, but will probably result in even worse catastrophes in the future. Instead of every country trying to do it locally and hoarding whatever equipment it can get, a co-ordinated global effort could greatly accelerate production and make sure life-saving equipment is distributed more fairly. Yuval Noah Harari is author of ‘Sapiens’, ‘Homo Deus’ and ‘21 Lessons for the 21st Century’. Harari is the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. How do I switch from corporate finance to public affairs? This kind of technology is not limited to east Asia. Decisions that in normal times could take years of deliberation are passed in a matter of hours. Humankind is now facing a global crisis. The bestselling author of "Sapiens", Yuval Noah Harari tells Christiane Amanpour that the coronavirus is the worst global health threat we have faced in at least a century. But to achieve such a level of compliance and co-operation, you need trust. When choosing between alternatives, we should ask ourselves not only how to overcome the immediate threat, but also what kind of world we will inhabit once the storm passes. For when people are given a choice between privacy and health, they will usually choose health. Another requirement is reaching a global agreement on travel. What happens when everybody works from home and communicates only at a distance? If the void left by the US isn’t filled by other countries, not only will it be much harder to stop the current epidemic, but its legacy will continue to poison international relations for years to come. Humankind is now facing a global crisis. BBC Radio 2 What Makes Us Human with Jeremy Vine Posted On November 18, 2020. Yuval Noah Harari (Hebrew: יובל נח הררי ‎ [juˈval ˈnoaχ haˈʁaʁi]; born 24 February 1976) is an Israeli public intellectual, historian and a professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 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