By Invitation | The world after covid-19

Jared Diamond and Nathan Wolfe on the value of preparation

Crises are inevitable—but society can act beforehand to limit their destructiveness

By Jared Diamond and Nathan Wolfe

“BE PREPARED” is the sensible motto of the boy scouts. Yet the fast spread of covid-19 reveals that the world largely ignored that wise dictum. With one conspicuous exception that we shall explain, most countries didn’t have adequate plans or stockpiles for confronting a pandemic.

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A broader peace is within Israel’s grasp, say Tamir Pardo and Nimrod Novik

A former Mossad director and former foreign-policy adviser on an offer not to be refused

An illustration of Julius Maada, Lazarus Chakwera and Andry Rajoelina.

Three presidents on the partnerships that can at last transform Africa

Success teeters on bold, stable funding, say Julius Maada Bio, Lazarus Chakwera and Andry Rajoelina 


Assisted-dying advocates’ claims of freedom have it backward, says Danny Kruger

One of a pair of essays in which members of Parliament argue their cases


My assisted-dying bill safely solves a grave injustice, says Kim Leadbeater

One of a pair of essays in which members of Parliament argue their cases

“Middle powers” can thrive in the age of AI, says Eric Schmidt

Google’s former chief executive has a playbook for riding out the revolution

Polls get elections wrong. So use Google, says Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

The data scientist argues that stronger predictions lie in what people search for