By Jerome A. Cohen
My colleague Yu-Jie Chen and I have just published a piece in The Diplomat, Trump Is Right That the WHO Has a China Problem. Cutting Funding Isn’t the Answer.
We point out that Trump has himself to blame for his administration’s bungled response to COVID-19. But one does not have to agree with Trump’s reckless tirades to condemn the WHO. Those who try to defend the WHO must not overlook WHO's remarkable failings as well as the WHO director-general’s biased and unprincipled position when dealing with China. The world community would benefit from insisting on better performance from the world’s health body, rather than normalizing its failings.
But Trump's decision to halt WHO funding is obviously immoral and cruel. We argue that it is also strategically unwise. Washington should reverse the current disengagement and self-isolation policy and seek to develop broad-based, cross-regional alliances in the international system, which is all the more important at a time when U.S. leadership continues to decline and China’s power is perceived to increase. For the WHO, Washington should join its allies in using collective political and financial leverage to reform the organization to improve its transparency, competence, and integrity. Burying the head in the sand while pointing fingers at others isn’t going to cut!