Why Big Nations Have Been Brought Low by the Pandemic
Large democracies face porous internal borders, more pressure to keep the economy humming and greater demands on effective government.
Cases are rising faster in India than anywhere else.
Photographer: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images
India is now the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic. It ranks just behind the U.S. and Brazil in confirmed cases and is growing faster than either. The total rose 20% in just the last week, despite the fact that India is testing less than most of its peers.
It’s looking increasingly likely that India will wind up being the country with the most cases in the world. This is not just a function of its massive population; China, too, has over 1 billion people. It is a reflection of the fact that big, diverse countries are at a disadvantage in dealing with pandemics.