COVID-19 and the Lessons from History This month’s briefing analyses the current state of the COVID-19 outbreak, puts it in the context of the past century’s worst pandemics and illustrates the lessons that can be learnt from these episodes

COVID-19: Not Out of the Woods Yet There is still much to learn about the virus and its behaviour, but it seems probable that we are still in the early stages of the global pandemic and the worst impacts of the outbreak may be yet to come.

Writing on the Wall? The UK and the Early Warning Signs of COVID-19 COVID-19 is the greatest challenge to global human security in the past 50 years. Before the outbreak the UK Government claimed to be world-leading in pandemic preparedness but is likely to end up being the worst affected state in Western Europe. This analysis seeks to explain why this is so.

COVID-19 and the Emerging Global Picture The global system is still barely five months into the COVID-19 pandemic and so it is difficult to draw general conclusions about the outbreak. But what is noticeable is that certain countries have fared better than others in dealing with the spread of the virus. This briefing explores some of the possible reasons for this development.

The Global Crisis of Our Time: The Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 This briefing concentrates on three elements of the COVID-19 outbreak,: the experience in the United Kingdom and its response to the crisis; the global emergency which is becoming apparent across the Global South; and some early indications of the longer-term impacts of the pandemic.

Austerity in the Age of COVID-19: A Match Made in Hell? The COVID-19 pandemic has been described as the biggest crisis facing the world since the end of the Second World War. The pandemic has raised serious questions about whether the political and economic systems in many states can deal with a crisis of this nature.

Connecting the Dots: The West’s Wars at Home and Abroad The "war on terror" has been underway for nearly two decades. Yet there is still little appreciation in some political quarters of how this approach has often been counterproductive and even created the conditions for violent extremism to thrive. If we are ever going to move towards a less violent future, this must change.

Who Benefits? Trump, Iran and the Bigger Picture The assassination of Qasem Soleimani caused tensions between the US and Iran to escalate dramatically. Relations between the two have simmered, though it is difficult to see how long for. But who are the real winners and losers from the crisis?

Running Out of Time? Future Prospects for Climate Stability The recent Conservative UK election victory and the lack of progress in the recent Madrid climate summit have cast doubt over future efforts to reduce global carbon emissions. This briefing assesses the prospects of whether a radical rethink amongst policymakers to mitigating climate breakdown will occur in time.