What Actually Mattered This Week: WHO Funding, Total Authority, IMF Outlook

Let the GZERO newsletter help you make sense of global news

WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK

My thoughts on some of this week’s biggest news stories:

Trump halts World Health Organization funding over handling of coronavirus outbreak

Political value of Trump’s move against the WHO isn’t suspending their aid – it’s the review. It’s massive pre-election political theater to level blame for the pandemic on them and China.

WHO is politicized and problematic, but absolutely necessary in a pandemic. There’s zero question about this among health experts.

Suspending their funding right now is the stupidest policy imaginable.

Trump claims "total authority" over state decisions

When somebody is President of Russia or China, the authority is total.

When somebody is President of the United States, the authority is constrained by the judiciary, Congress, governors, bureaucrats, media...

Trump issues guidelines to open up parts of US where coronavirus cases are in decline, testing ramped up

There’s a White House plan for reopening. It’s called: Governors.

US explores possibility that coronavirus spread started in Chinese lab, not a market

It’s not impossible coronavirus originally came out of a Wuhan lab, but scientists are skeptical and – to date – there’s no hard evidence.

It’s a crazy charge to make based on speculation. Sure, it’s politically expedient, but it’s also deeply irresponsible for the future of US-China relations.

IMF says the world will "very likely" experience worst recession since the 1930s

There’s no upside scenario in the latest IMF economic outlook.

They tried to come up with one. The facts didn’t support it.

Baseline IMF expectation is a global contraction of 3% in 2020. (The IMF 2020 projection from January was 3.3% growth).

In 2009, the global economy contracted by 0.1%.

Brazilian president fires health minister after clashes over coronavirus distancing

The Brazilian health minister – every bit the Dr. Fauci of Brazil – is extremely capable…and far more popular than President Bolsonaro. The President’s ego couldn’t handle it.

This is an incredibly irresponsible decision.

Prefer long-form analysis? Here are my thoughts on President Trump being the winner of the OPEC deal.

TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS

2020 IMF projections (with further risk to downside)

US -5.9%

Canada -6.2%

Mexico -6.6%

Germany -7.0%

France -7.2%

Italy -9.1%

UK -6.5%

Japan -5.2%

China 1.2%

India 1.9%

Brazil -5.3%

Russia -5.5%

-International Monetary Fund

THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN

More from GZERO Media (subscribe here)

GRAPHIC TRUTH 

YOUR GZERO WORLD

I interview Cui Tiankai, China's top diplomat in the United States, on a wide range of topics including accusations that China has underreported COVID-19 fatalities, his nation's decision to expel journalists from major U.S. publications, and China's emerging role in global aid and relief efforts.

WORLD IN 60 SECONDS

What is the COVID-19 update? Is the world on a path to recovery yet?

What's the potential the world faces a global economic crisis worse than The Great Depression?

Finally, what is with the showdown between Trump and state governors? Does Trump have "total" authority?

Find out in this week’s World in 60 Seconds!

Do you like what you’ve seen? Subscribe and stay informed.

BECAUSE THE INTERNET

If it fits, it fits.

DEEP THOUGHTS

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” ―Ernest Hemingway

Thanks for reading! Please subscribe for more analysis from GZERO Media.

Ian Bremmer is president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. He currently teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.