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The only multilateral effort to ensure vaccine for all nations is failing, and not only b/c the U.S. turned away.
It fails b/c it is impossible to beat techno-protectionist drug companies, & their exclusive right to manufacture, sell & license vaccines. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/09/02/908711419/u-s-wont-join-who-led-coronavirus-vaccine-effort-white-house-says
It fails b/c it is impossible to beat techno-protectionist drug companies, & their exclusive right to manufacture, sell & license vaccines. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/09/02/908711419/u-s-wont-join-who-led-coronavirus-vaccine-effort-white-house-says
As Srin & I wrote for the Guardian, the last time the world was able to cooperate on disease eradication, there was no patent & the U.S. was driven to get involved out of Cold War competition with Soviet Union and damaged reputation from Vietnam. Imagine! https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/28/coronavirus-smallpox-vaccine-eradicated?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Twitter&__twitter_impression=true
I keep thinking about David Graeber’s amazing article in the Baffler where he dares to imagine all the progress that could have been by now, but was stopped/stalled by the advance of neoliberal bureaucracy.
Graeber, not exactly filling it out here, but mentioning why medicines like vaccines have become attached to political investment in endless capitalism:
8 years on from this article, it’s worse. Even when gov. funding conspires to make something revolutionary like a vaccine happen, the revolution is hampered by patents that privatize access:
But still to dream with David:
