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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.

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February 13, 2026
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Ece Temelkuran; Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani; Tig Notaro; Megan Falley
February 12, 2026
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Robert Kagan; Delroy Lindo; Chris Jennings
February 11, 2026
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Jørgen Frydnes; Anders Fogh Rasmussen; Sarah Khaki; Mohammadreza Eyni; Scott Galloway
February 10, 2026
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Hadi Ghaemi; Nic Robertson; Brian Mann; Maria Ressa
February 9, 2026
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Kristie Lou Stout; Rush Doshi; Tom Tugendhat; Dara Massicot; Jake Sullivan
February 6, 2026
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Volker Türk; Wagner Moura; Kleber Mendonça Filho; Jodi Kantor
February 5, 2026
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Richard Hasen; Michelle Nunn; Max Colchester
February 4, 2026
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Carlos Fernandez de Cossio; Amos Harel; Kay Bailey Hutchison
February 3, 2026
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Rose Gottemoeller; Jomana Karadsheh; Julie K. Brown; Elliot Williams
February 2, 2026
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Abbas Milani; Michael J. Bustamante; Charles Duhigg
January 30, 2026
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Elizabeth Economy; Adam Higginbotham; Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
January 29, 2026
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Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan; Karim Sadjadpour; David Borenstein; Stephen Vladeck
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