This analysis was excerpted from the April 29 edition of CNN's Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. Click here to read past editions and subscribe.

(CNN) This is one moment when the tired metaphor of world leaders being at war with Covid-19 might actually be apt.

Battlefield commanders understand that decisions delivered in extreme conditions often require a purchasing of incremental benefits with the loss of human life. The world's national, regional and local politicians now face this question: How much new infection and death is acceptable while easing coronavirus lockdowns to head off Great Depression-style misery?

The choice is especially stark in the United States since because of government neglect, the kind of blanket testing needed to isolate new infections is not in place. Some states getting back to business don't even satisfy lax White House recommendations that new cases should decline for 14 consecutive days before opening is considered.

From Israel to Italy, Hong Kong to Spain and France to star pupil New Zealand, governments are polishing plans to ease lockdowns. But reflecting the leaders' dilemma, Britain's reemerging Prime Minister Boris Johnson rebuffed Conservative Party colleagues calling for an end to the lockdown, using political capital won by his own tough battle with Covid-19. Chancellor Angela Merkel, cautious as ever, warned we are on the " thinnest of ice " — and on Tuesday the reproductive rate of the virus rose in Germany — raising fears of a second stay-at-home order.

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