TW: Mass Covid Death, Eugenics, Ableism, Racism, Western Imperialism and War Crimes, Agent Orange
The 19th of November was the Vietnamese National Mourning Day for the victims of the pandemic. Over 23,000 people across Vietnam have lost their lives, when a lot of them could have been saved.
Cầu Kiều recognizes the valiant efforts from the Vietnamese government in vaccine diplomacy, which has saved the lives of millions of our people and remember those whose have been lost and their loved ones.
Continuing from our previous post, Cầu Kiều would like to illuminate how the West has wielded the pandemic as a geopolitical weapon against Vietnam specifically, by:
1. Drawing upon historical context; and
2. Centering those most affected by the pandemic but who are too often left out of any analysis or conversation especially on the left: disabled people.
Countries like Vietnam are put in coercive and difficult positions – given its past successes during this pandemic, its recent struggles cannot be relegated to “incompetence” alone.
Time to do what we do best — put the blame where it belongs: Western Imperialism.
❓ Further Questions to Consider:
🇻🇳 What examples have you seen of Global South nations being disproportionately ignored in discourses surrounding pandemic management efforts? How can this be combatted?
🇻🇳 How often do you consider current material conditions wherever you live as reflections of history? To what extent might people around you be cognizant of these historical connections?
🇻🇳 The Vietnamese government was prompted to relax quarantine restrictions due to international (mostly Western) companies threatening to withdraw otherwise. What does this demonstrate about varying attitudes towards capital vs. human welfare?
