GEAB 150

The Covid-19 crisis has not brought about anything new. It only focusses the trends that were already at work. In doing so, it widens the gaps. Once this has been established, it is important not to make mistakes in analysing these trends. But it would seem that the West can’t see the wood for the trees. The distortions in the perception of the world caused by an information system whose objectivity and viewpoint are increasingly questionable (moral censorship, covid-related interference, growing localism, etc.) all contribute to this lack of judgement.

Here and there, we read that developing/emerging countries risk remaining on the sidelines of a post-Covid recovery that would benefit, above all, developed countries.[1] This kind of reading – Third World vs. Developed Countries – seems to us more akin to the 1970s than to the current world. Won’t the gap that is about to widen when the economy recovers be more to the disadvantage of the West than to the developing countries? In order to better assess the situation, we suggest a whirlwind round-the-world tour, during which we will try to identify the main characteristics of the changes at work in each region.