DISINFO: Europe's failure to deal with the coronavirus is due to its sense of ideological superiority
SUMMARY
Europe has experienced a long period of peace and prosperity. Its whole society feels entitled to prosperity and security without having to strive for it. Many people have forgotten that freedom means above all responsibility and respect for others. They are under the impression that they have the right to do anything they want, and that the state is obliged to solve problems they cause. This, too, was the reason behind the carefree attitudes of many politicians and the public in the early stages of the epidemic. Europe’s failure was largely due to the fact that, thanks to a sense of ideological superiority, it failed to follow the logical steps taken in Asia and see the impending risks. Taking experience and assistance from these countries does not mean taking over their political system. However, a majority of politicians and the public have not yet realised this. These Asian countries did not even consider the possibility of taking a herd immunity approach, as was adopted in some other countries, mainly because of their traditional respect for old age and family.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the collapse of democracy and the West amid the coronavirus crisis, also building on the longstanding pro-Kremlin theme of the West's alleged moral decay, characterised by hedonism, materialism, and hostility to traditional religion, which Western governments allegedly seek to undermine and to replace with pseudo-religions (such as LGBT ideology and feminism). See similar cases that liberalism has facilitated the spread of the coronavirus, and that the coronavirus "war" is finally forcing Western ultraliberals to finally care for vulnerable people. The notion of "threatened values" is one of the master narratives used in pro-Kremlin disinformation, in order to suggest that those committed to decency and traditionalism are under attack from liberal “tyranny”. This case also invokes another recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that has emerged during the coronavirus crisis: that democracies and open societies are collapsing and unable to effectively manage the pandemic, while closed, "traditionalist" societies have coped much better. Authoritarian regimes, which tend to control and manipulate information and to limit the freedom of doctors and scientists to engage in international cooperation, are often an obstacle to the timely detection and containment of epidemic outbreaks. A coordinated, cross-border effort by the scientific and medical community to understand the virus, develop cures and treatments, and speedily disseminate a vaccine across national borders will end the pandemic. This collaboration is already underway, with the EU taking a leading role. More on EU repsonse to the COVID-19 outbreak here See additional disinformation cases on the coronavirus here and on the West's moral collapse here.