In countries around the world, many global connections were suddenly severed — or at least put on an indefinite pause — due to the spread of coronavirus. With flights cancelled, travel bans enacted and global trade upended, will coronavirus end globalisation as we know it?
In late February, Rana Foroohar wrote that the novel virus was already speeding up decoupling of global economies. Less than two weeks later, Donald Trump closed off direct US travel to the European continent for the first time since the second world war — a decision that contradicted expert guidelines, Edward Luce pointed out.
Rana and Ed have been closely following the economic fallout of coronavirus for the US and its global partners. Today, they’re here to answer your questions about how the outbreak has already, and will continue to affect, globalisation.
Rana Foroohar is our global business columnist and an associate editor. She and Ed write the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter, a twice weekly briefing on money and power in Trump’s America. She also writes a weekly print column on Monday, which covers the biggest topics in the global economy. Rana has covered business in the US, Europe and Asia for nearly 30 years, and is the author of two award-winning books, “Don’t Be Evil,” and “Makers and Takers.” She can answer your questions about all things related to the intersection of business, politics, and society, and in particular how the global economy will change as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
Edward Luce is our US national editor and a columnist for the FT. He can answer questions about the political economy of Covid-19, and the epidemic’s impact on democracy. Luce is the author of The Retreat of Western Liberalism, Time to Start Thinking: America in the age of Descent, and In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India. He writes a weekly column that appears on Friday, and is co-author with Rana of Swamp Notes. He can answer your questions on whether the virus will undermine the US presidential election, what the world will do in the absence of US leadership, and how a prolonged epidemic that has more than one wave will change the way we live.
Ask your questions in the comments below. Ed and Rana will be dropping in regularly to answer them over the course of the day.
