Morality for the famous Realist Machiavelli was the power product of Haves that are blindfolded with self-interest and hypocrisy. Even at the woeful plight of this pandemic– a “global” virus crisis – the “state” has been regarded as the referent object that eventually led to the hoarding and discriminatory dispense of Covid vaccines– the Vaccine Nationalism. This Vaccine Nationalism has demonstrated the states upholding Realism through self-centric decision-making that has moral imperatives too, and hence careening into catastrophe in the contemporary globalized era.
Vaccine Nationalism has descended into another form of world divide and eventually manifested the Realist prognosis of relative goods. Realist ideology made states devoid of collective interests – absolute goods– and brought forth the Hobbesian nature where humans are pursuing interests at the expense of others. Such a human life endangering Hobbesian nature has been realized when Asian cubs got covid-jabbed, whereas the widespread inoculation has been queued for a minimum of five years in their neighboring underdeveloped states such as Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Parallel to the survivalist theory of Charles Darwin, the fittest, most powerful, and richest countries are leading to amass this lifesaving technology and leaving the weak, unfit, and poor countries waiting for years.
The upsurge of the vaccine prices because of economic giants-suppliers sideline deals knocked out equitable vaccine distribution programs such as Covax and denied weak economies access to the vaccine as a result. Subsequently, as per the latest report of Amnesty International, 16 percent Haves are hoarding 60 percent of the Covid vaccines thereby foreshadowing the tragic developments among the have-nots.
Thucydides’ naturalistic character of inequality is evident in W.H Davies’ nation also, where the poor leave, and the have-nots are persistently falling prey to vaccine apartheid and the digital divide. For instance, many US states are using complicated online registration procedures that the underprivileged, and minorities cannot afford. According to the latest report of Human Right Watch, 28 percent old-aged Native Americans, 21 percent Latinos, and 25 percent black will be unable to get their shots. In addition, Machiavellian morality has successfully subdued the Victorian morality in Southwark and South London, too; as the far-flung areas of the UK were passed over to protect a few rich lives.
This development is not a good omen for the destitute people in this world, as no matter whether they are inside the borders or ownerless, for unequal and selfish decisions will hound them in every facet of their lives. Such a jeopardy of human lives, especially in this life-saving aspect, has serious moral imperatives. Furthermore, owing to the interconnectedness of today’s era, jingoistic decisions will have a menacing shadow on the haves too.
This major level manifestation of realism explicates the significance of its fundamental 3S: Statism, Survival, and the Self-help. The children of lesser gods are dissipated in this haves and have-nots dialogue because they lack statism. The occupiers were busy in protecting their homelands and tightening blockades on their occupied lands, but no one cared about the besieged people of Kashmir and Palestine. And the stark reality of inequality is obvious by the statement given by Médecins Sans Frontières’ advisor in Palestine, Matthias Kennes: “The chances of Israelis to get Covid shots are 60 percen% higher than the Palestinians.” Secondly, Survival is linked to the realization of any state’s interests, so it is directly linked to the third S, self-help. The poor states are at the disposal of stronger ones because they cannot do it on their own. This dependence reveals the harsh and unalterable truth of international politics where only national interests matter. National interests made Serbia one of the key recipients of the Chinese vaccine. Geopolitics whetted the hunger of hegemony contestant China to aid Serbia, because Serbia is the crucial state connecting the former’s new Silk Road project. This project will connect China to the biggest markets of Europe.
Moral imperatives of this Vaccine Nationalism have given rise to different disorders that are intensifying the global health crisis. Whiteman noblesse are expected to get jabbed by the end of this year at the expense of sub-Saharan heroes-in-white-overalls. Similar to the other privileged countries, the UK angled for vaccinating each adult by the end of this year. The UK government’s good decision with bad timing can worsen the situation in the poor sub-Saharan countries. Those countries are losing health specialists to covid-19 because of the unavailability of the vaccines.
In the long-run, this vaccine jingoism is going to be fatal for those espousing it– the Have–states. The dirty interests of the Haves may also get infected since they highly depend upon the Haves-not for their interests. In the words of the World Health Organization’s Director General, “Equitable vaccine distribution is not only a moral but also strategic and economic imperative for the rich countries.” Their interest in the globalism of cheap resources and labour may export them new covid-19 variants from the uninoculated haves-not that will eventually become the breeding grounds for the new and more deadly variants. Subsequently, the hoarded stock of vaccines will become unusable.
Vaccine Nationalism has aggravated the global privileged and underprivileged divide between haves and have-nots. Consequently, the eternity of Realists’ espoused self-centric decision-making of the states has dramatized this.
This development is not a good omen for the destitute people in this world, as no matter whether they are inside the borders or ownerless, for unequal and selfish decisions will hound them in every facet of their lives. Such a jeopardy of human lives, especially in this life-saving aspect, has serious moral imperatives. Furthermore, owing to the interconnectedness of today’s era, jingoistic decisions will have a menacing shadow on the haves too.
