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In 1986, Soviet leaders deliberately lied to the world about the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Putting millions at risk, the government prioritized regime stability over a public health emergency. As the death toll from the coronavirus continues to rise, we likewise see authoritarian systems suppressing information, ultimately facilitating the disease’s spread.
On this episode, Yaroslav Trofimov joined Dany and Marc to compare the Chinese response to the coronavirus with his experience as a 16-year-old boy in Kiev during Chernobyl. The three also discuss how authoritarian regimes like China’s, Iran’s, and North Korea’s contribute to the disease’s fatality rate and whether the virus’s spread will have any impact on Xi Jinping’s rule.
Yaroslav Trofimov is the chief foreign-affairs correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. He joined the Journal in 1999 and previously served as Rome, Middle East and Singapore-based Asia correspondent, as bureau chief in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and as Dubai-based columnist on the greater Middle East. He is the author of two books, “Faith at War” (2005) and “Siege of Mecca” (2007).
Danielle Pletka
Marc Thiessen