aced with coronavirus , the international community would have been expected to rush to create a united front aimed at fighting a pestilence which has caused such alarm that it is being seen as an existential threat.

Instead the inexorable rise of the pandemic has highlighted a divided and rancorous geopolitical landscape, mired in accusations, recriminations and opaqueness with little to indicate that an urgent and effective global response is under way.

Chinese officials not only failed to acknowledge the scale of the problem early on, but tried to silence medical personnel who warned of what was coming. The Iranian establishment downplayed the spread of the disease from the holy Shia city of Qom until it became impossible to hide. Both South Korea and Japan were slower than neighbouring countries in enforcing travel bans from China, and Tokyo failed to deal with the spread of the virus on board the cruise ship Diamond Princess. The European Union is accused of failing to help Italy, the worst affected country in Europe.