The militarization of local police
Snowden warns that governments are using the coronavirus to build "the architecture of oppression"
From Contrainformacion.es
"There is nothing more predictable than a public health crisis in a world where we live on top of each other in crowded and polluted cities," Snowden said.
Edward Snowden, American technology consultant, informant, former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, noted in an interview with VICE co-founder Shane Smith that there is not a single government on the planet that has not been repeatedly warned that at some point a viral pandemic will sweep the world, causing untold death and economic disruption. And yet most were unable to prepare for the new coronavirus.
“Every academic, every researcher who saw this knew that this was going to happen. However, when we needed it, the system has failed us, and it has largely failed us, "Snowden said.
The informant unveiled the National Security Agency's surveillance scheme on Americans in 2012. For Snowden, we are very ill-prepared for the pandemic: “There is nothing more predictable than a public health crisis in a world in which we live. on top of others in crowded and polluted cities. And every academic, every researcher who studied this situation, knew that this was going to happen. And in fact, even the intelligence agencies, I can tell you first hand, because I used to read the reports that they had been planning for the pandemics. "
The expert does not see that autocratic regimes are better at dealing with things like this than democratic ones. "There are arguments that China can do things that the United States cannot. That does not mean that what these autocratic countries are doing is really more effective. "
Assange: empire of surveillance and imperialism
We do not want governments to indiscriminately monitor their citizens, but we do want a citizenry that keeps sewers of power observed so that they can respond for crimes committed in wars of dispossession of the planet's natural resources.
Snowden says whether the reported or infected death toll can be trusted: “I don't think we can. In particular, we see the Chinese government recently working to expel Western journalists, precisely at this time when we need credible and independent warnings in this region. "
Finally, on the right to privacy, Snowden declares that “as authoritarianism spreads, emergency laws proliferate, we sacrifice our rights, we also sacrifice our ability to stop the flow to a less liberal and less free world. Do you really believe that when the first wave, this second wave, the 16th coronavirus wave is a long forgotten memory, these capabilities will not be maintained? What these data sets were not preserved? No matter how it is used, what is being built is the architecture of oppression, "he said.
The business of the century: our isolation and disease
https://mundo.sputniknews.com/firmas/202004121091085537-el-negocio-del-siglo-nuestro-aislamiento-y-enfermedad--/
The pandemic is so brutal that it has dazzled the reason of leaders and rulers who believe that countries alone can get out of this crisis. We are lost in the labyrinth of individualism, blinded by myopic forecasts and absence of leadership. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies rub their hands.
When the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, the number of confirmed cases in the world exceeded 118,000. In less than a month, the figure has exceeded 1.6 million (1,400%).
On January 23 of this year, when according to WHO data, there were 574 cases of COVID-19 in China, the Emergency Committee of the WHO International Health Regulations warned that "all countries must be prepared to adopt measures to confinement, such as active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, follow-up of contacts and prevention of spread. "
The law of silence: a Chinese doctor is sincere about the government's pressure to remain silent about the coronavirus
A week later, on January 30, the WHO emergency committee declared an international emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak, which, according to today's results, seems not to have been taken with the seriousness that the case warranted.
According to WHO records, on February 3 in China 17,000 cases were reported, 3,000% more, compared to January 23, the day the warning was issued to the world.
On that date, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, during the meeting of the WHO Executive Board, despite the fact that the growth was colossal, said that "if we invest in the struggle at the epicenter, at the origin, the spread to other countries will be minimal and also slow and, if it is minimal and slow, what happens outside can also be easily controlled. "
While it is true that he then issued a warning: "So it can be managed, and when I say this, don't get me wrong, it can even get worse. But if we do our best, the result could be even better."
The Director-General of the WHO, sinning candorly, stated that "in the first place, there is no reason to adopt measures that unnecessarily limit travel and international trade. We urge all countries to make evidence-based and consistent decisions."
The immediate question that comes to mind is, did you see the growth rates? Do WHO bureaucrats not know that the word cooperation currently practically does not exist between countries, with few exceptions?
US Intelligence warned Washington of the coronavirus in Wuhan in November 2019.
It is worth clarifying that it is not a question here of attacking the WHO or the person of the director general, but rather that we all understand, ordinary citizens, governments and international institutions, that, if we continue to do more of the same, the situation will It can become uncontrollable.
That optimism may have contributed to not seeing the big red alert that China was issuing at the time.
The WHO director said on that occasion that "global connectivity is a disadvantage in this outbreak, but it is also our greatest strength." This statement was made despite the fact that in less than 11 days the coronavirus had achieved unprecedented growth (3,000%).
Tedros under fire
"The only way to overcome this outbreak is for all countries to work together in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. The rules of the game are solidarity and more solidarity" and he regretted, however, that it was conspicuous by its absence in many corners and that that had to be corrected. With those words, it is clear that Tedros Adhanom is aware of the situation, but still remained confident.
It is clear that the current world situation cannot be attributed to a person, because WHO is an institution that, in addition to the organization's staff, obeys the mandate of its member countries, which through their representatives make their voices heard.
Now the WHO director is experiencing difficult times not only because of the global crisis, but also because he has been attacked and even received death threats. Added to this, now is the threat by the US President to suspend his contributions to the WHO.
The virus travels by plane and does not need a passport
In early March, US President Donald Trump said "we have a perfectly coordinated and adjusted plan in the White House for our attack on the coronavirus" and accused the Fake News Media of doing everything possible for the US "to look bad. "
On March 11, when the WHO declared the pandemic, the US added 696 cases. A month later, the figure exceeds 460,000 cases and more deaths from coronavirus have been reported than any other country in the world.
Latin America, very vulnerable to the impact of the crisis
The enormous air connectivity of the US and Europe with Latin America and the Caribbean has triggered the contagion towards the region.
The future is not encouraging, nor is there any glimpse of greater cooperation or coordination between countries. There is a dangerous tendency to resolve the situation through repression and isolation. Each one does what he can, as he can, and with people scared and afraid of dying, nobody controls anything, while the coffers of the countries are emptying.
How long can Latin America and the Caribbean endure, immobilized, militarized and without food?
It is difficult to understand how we have reached this point, even more so when it is known that in 2017 the WHO warned that epidemic outbreaks are a constant global threat and that is why it created a New WHO Health Emergencies Program that "covers the entire management cycle risk management includes working with countries to address emergencies before they occur by improving prevention and preparedness, and also assisting in emergency response. "
And the poor ... what will they eat during the crisis?
Who but the WHO (as a body made up of practically every country on the planet), the UN and its other bodies should have taken steps to prevent the current global tragedy? Mechanisms exist, but apparently are not adequate.
Last year, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that more than half of the world's population lacks access to health services, with serious consequences for humanity as a whole. That could be the extent of the damage from the coronavirus.
COVID-19 has shown us that globalization, as it is today, is successful in spreading the virus and exposing our fragility. The political self-isolation of countries is our worst enemy today, it is a boomerang that will worsen the current situation.
The vaccine business: your disease, my business
Vaccine providers around the world are a handful of extremely powerful companies, who daily lobby brutally for millions of dollars before governments, congresses and international institutions.
On the other hand, it is vital for world powers to have allies, that is, their own companies, corporations and universities that research and position their products in the world. It is a matter of national security and global positioning.
Among the big pharmaceutical companies that dominate the market, we can mention Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKlin, Eli Lilly, Johnson and Johnson, Roche, etc. The China CanSino Bio also advances by leaps and bounds in this race.
Soviet tuberculosis vaccine, a weapon against coronavirus?
For example, Johnson & Johnson announced that it is working on a vaccine for COVID-19, a product of agreements with the US Government, and is committed to supplying 1 billion vaccines worldwide that would be ready by 2021.
But they are not only interested in prevention (the vaccine), such as the case of the Novartis-Johnson & Johnson consortium that works to develop and manufacture diagnostics and treatments for COVID-19 as well.
The competition to get the vaccine first is motivated by the millions of potential sufferers, all of us, without distinction of religion, culture, age, political creed, continent or country. It is the business of the century and the table is served.
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