The Whole Truth with David Eisenhower

In our increasingly interconnected world, novel pathogens can find human hosts anywhere on the planet and spread with a never-before-seen speed and scale. So, if we must be preparing for future pandemics, what lessons should be learned from the Covid experience about public policy and the practice of medicine in a time of crisis?

The last generation’s icon of American conservatism, Ronald Reagan, supported free trade, welcomed immigration and thought it essential that military power be able to defend democracy anywhere. This generation’s leader of the Republican party, Donald Trump, and his “America First” movement, are seen by many as disagreeing with Reagan on all those issues. So, what lies ahead for the American right?

Amid an increasingly divided political landscape, recent polls show that most Americans view the politics of both the Democratic and Republican parties to be either to the left or right of their own views, with only about one in five saying either party’s politics were “about the same” as their own. Meanwhile, a growing proportion of voters are registering as non-partisan or independent.

Frequently called “the most dangerous place in the world,” many see the island of Taiwan as the 21st century equivalent of Berlin during the Cold War of an earlier era - the hottest of hot spots, the potential flashpoint for world war between superpowers - in our time those powers being the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. What should be American policy towards Taiwan?