The Covid-19 pandemic illustrates the weakness of global and national institutions that operate independently of the people they are intended to support. These institutions start with a noble purpose, but over time they fall under the influence of their individual, corporate and national donors. The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) failed to alert the world of the potential for a global pandemic, allowing the virus to spread around the world. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) accepted the WHO and China’s assessment and failed to recommend stocking up on the protective equipment to address the potential problem. We are now living with the results.
These and other similar organizations must be financed and administered in a manner that prevents their analysis from being altered in favor of their donors or state sponsors.