The "security challenges" presented by the pandemic are similar to those faced in the 1930s, says the head of the UK Army Forces. Photo / 123RF
The "security challenges" presented by the pandemic are similar to those faced in the 1930s, says the head of the UK Army Forces. Photo / 123RF
The head of the UK Armed Forces has warned that the coronavirus pandemic has led to the erection of "nationalist barriers" and economic crises reminiscent of the lead-up to the World War II.
General Sir Nick Carter, the chief of the defence staff, said that the "security challenges" presented bythe pandemic were similar to those faced in the 1930s.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Carter argued that better global co-operation was needed to tackle the pandemic and its economic impact.
"What you generally find with a crisis like this, which becomes an economic crisis, is that it then undermines the stability and security situation as well," he said. "If you look at the 1930s, that started with a significant economic crash and that acted as a very destabilising feature. There are moments in history when significant economic challenges have led to security challenges because they act as a destabiliser."
The economic crisis caused by the Great Depression was linked to the rise of fascism in Europe and ultimately to the outbreak of World War II. There are now deepening global tensions developing over Covid-19, with mounting concerns over supplies of vaccines and the closures of borders.
Carter cautioned: "There has been some unity with the vaccine, but generally speaking people have put up nationalist barriers, and that does not exactly help you with security and stability. What the virus has revealed is some fault lines internationally, but also within society."
It is the general's starkest hint yet that the world could face another large scale conflict. Previously he has warned that escalating competition between states could lead to "miscalculation" that resulted in a war.
The uneven effects of the pandemic and rollout of vaccines across the globe has led to tensions. China has faced allegations of covering up the origins of the pandemic after the initial outbreak was said to have occurred in the city of Wuhan. A Russian disinformation campaign has been accused of undermining public health and spreading fear by making false claims about the Oxford vaccine.
Meanwhile, in Europe, arguments have broken out over vaccine supplies, with the EU widely rebuked for temporarily triggering Article 16 of the Brexit protocol to block doses travelling from the block to the UK.
Arguments between nations have broken out over vaccine supplies. Photo / Getty Images
Carter warned that the different approaches taken by rival states could lead to increased tensions around the world. "Covid has asked some very big questions about your supply chains and how you protect your people," he said.
He said that the steepest challenge will come when the worst effects of the pandemic start to recede. "We will be confronted with a couple of big choices. There will be a big choice between totalitarian surveillance and citizen empowerment, and there will be a big choice between global solidarity and nationalist isolation," he said.
Carter also warned that the global pandemic was taking place against a deteriorating global situation, which had seen a marked increase in state-based threats emerging during the past three or four years.
He added that the support provided by the estimated 6000 military personnel who have been supporting the NHS and other agencies involved in tackling the pandemic had helped the public to acquire a better understanding of the military.
"In the past we have been popular with the British public, but we were not well understood," he explains. "As a result of the pandemic, people have learnt a lot about our adaptability and innovation and planning ability."
