Populism vs. Pandemic
The Coronavirus has had radically different impacts on different countries around the world. This hasn't been an issue of geography but is an issue of the variable responses of national leadership. In tension are pro and anti governmental structures, where the general existence of the government is (respectively) either strong or weak in comparison to the private economy.
The problem with weakness to the private economy is that even if a state functions within a tolerance to avoid crisis under normal conditions, it is ill prepared for natural disasters or the dangers of an unstabilized market. Still though, within tolerances that the masses of a citizenry will accept (via false consciousness or otherwise), these conditions are often considered as a necessary evil of the system which can otherwise be settled for.
Now, as facing a tremendous natural disaster, this core tension is being stretched to fully reveal the firebrand populists where they stand. Leadership which has been able to swell crowds through racism, xenophobia, and mocking scientific communities is now having the carpet pulled from underneath them. Where, in the past, criticizing climate change as false had no simple and tangible way to be corroborated by the public, the thousands of Covid-19 deaths brought on by faulty leadership has afforded a gruesome illustration.
In Brazil, the right wing populist Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as President in January of last year. His campaign consisted of rolling back environmental regulations, restricting abortions, admiring the former military dictatorship of the 20th century, and homophobia. Now, forced to consider the role of government in governance, rather than hacking away at its responsibilities, Bolsonaro has turned to repeatedly dubbing the Coronavirus "a fantasy" or "a measly cold." He's actively opposed all measures against the pandemic, frequently attacking the media, scientists, the WHO, and local state officials who have taken measures toward flattening the curve.
It's the detachment of this populist behavior from conscientious governance which condemns its long-term viability since it can't weather real hardships. This is the reason Brazil is a growing hotspot for the Coronavirus. In terms of international relations, the signaling effects of seeing other strongman populists from developed countries (such as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump) get away with leading their countries in a similar fashion.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/coronavirus-pandemic-threat-populist-strongmen-200421105729756.html
https://www.npr.org/2019/01/01/681429911/right-wing-populist-jair-bolsonaro-sworn-in-as-president-of-brazil
