Health Cooperation in the Quad, Alcohol Use in Lithuania, and Pandemic Urbanism

Editor's Note

The four nations that make up the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—the United States, Australia, India, and Japan— met this week to discuss the future of health cooperation in a post–COVID-19 world. In our first article, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Manjari Chatterjee Miller lays out the past, present, and future of the Quad, as it is known, emphasizing that the group's longevity hinges on its ability to build a sustainable, inclusive foundation for future coordination against all threats, whether geopolitical or health related.  

The World Health Assembly also kicked off this week. Ilona Kickbusch, founding director and chair of the advisory group of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies' Global Health Centre in Geneva, weighs in on a new proposed Global Threats Health Council. Although the council could fill gaps in accountability and financing, it could also add layers of unnecessary bureaucracy that would hinder a coherent and streamlined approach to pandemics. 

Continuing  a series  on the underappreciated and growing harm of alcohol to global health, we examine one of the few bright spots: Lithuania. Mindaugas Štelemėkas, professor at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and a specialist in alcohol policy, discusses the country's crusade to curb excess drinking, which stands out for its systematic, evidence-based policies. Lithuania saw a 2.8-liter reduction in per capita alcohol consumption between 2014 and 2019.  

Our final piece, written by the authors of the new book  Pandemic Urbanism,  distills some of their argument that urban forms are crucial for effective pandemic response. They highlight the paradox of pandemic urbanism: urban life enables contagion to spread easily yet offers unique possibilities to contain and respond to disease outbreaks. 

As always, thank you for reading. —Thomas J. Bollyky, Editor. 