Skip to main content
Back to Show
Amanpour & Co.

COVID's Wakeup Call: The Weaknesses of Western Governments

In their new book The Wake-Up Call, top journalists at Bloomberg News and The Economist study different government responses to the pandemic. The winners and losers may prove surprising, with many states in Asia-–including authoritarian China-–faring better and saving more lives than their wealthy western counterparts. Walter Isaacson speaks with the authors about their findings.

Support Provided By
Season
February 25, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:52
Gregg Nunziata, Susan Glasser, David Miliband, Bill McKibben
February 24, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:55
Nataliya Gumenyuk; Michael Kofman; Craig Renaud; Juan Arradondo; Maya Shankar
February 23, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:50
Viri Rios; Max Foster; Natasha Sarin; Vali Nasr; Wynton Marsalis
February 20, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:48
Serhii Plokhy; Billy Crudup; Denise Gough; Emily Galvin Almanza
February 19, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:43
Emily Maitlis; Rafael Grossi; Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin; A'Lelia Bundles
February 18, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:54
Barham Salih; Joachim Trier; Dr. Sanjay Gupta; Jon Meacham
February 17, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:46
Wendy Sherman; Keir Starmer; Ursula von der Leyen; David Holland
February 16, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:31
Volodymyr Zelensky; Mark Rutte; Roberta Metsola; Roger Wicker; Jesús Armas; Margaret Hany
February 13, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:28
Ece Temelkuran; Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani; Tig Notaro; Megan Falley
February 12, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:33
Robert Kagan; Delroy Lindo; Chris Jennings
February 11, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:50
Jørgen Frydnes; Anders Fogh Rasmussen; Sarah Khaki; Mohammadreza Eyni; Scott Galloway
February 10, 2026
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:25
Hadi Ghaemi; Nic Robertson; Brian Mann; Maria Ressa
Active loading indicator