“Saudi Arabia is hosting the Group of 20 summit in November of this year. But given the current crisis, the Saudis announced recently that it will convene a virtual G-20 leaders’ summit next week ‘to advance a coordinated response to the covid-19 pandemic and its human and economic implications.’
“The virtual summit is clearly needed to mobilize a response to a pandemic that respects no borders. It’s a sign of the times, however, that the United States is nowhere to be found in organizing a more coordinated global response. Historically, the international community would have looked to the United States for leadership, and we would have been out front, establishing standards, best practices for containment, working out common approaches to travel, identifying medical shortfalls, sharing information on vaccine development and trials and developing stimulus packages…”