Two extreme cases are Jair Bolsonaro’s Brazil, which is stuck in denial, and Alberto Fernandez’s Argentina, which opted for lockdown measures relatively early on. The virus has hit vulnerable countries and societies that will emerge from the crisis even weaker. The coming major recession is likely to increase already considerable inequality and heighten social tensions.

Florian Vidal is a Research Fellow at Ifri's Russia/NIS Center.

Article published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 85, No. 4, Winter 2020-2021.