Freedom and Privacy During the Pandemic, the State of Trans-Atlantic Relations, and More

April 27, 2020

“Our modern society is lucky to have technologies and abilities that previous societies did not have to fight the diseases and plagues that afflicted them.” Robert Litan and Martin Lowy discuss the merits of a contact-tracing smartphone app for reducing the spread of COVID-19 and touch on several important areas including user accessibility, government enforcement, and data privacy.

The United States and Europe are increasingly focused on managing the coronavirus crisis—often on their own without the help of their allies. Brookings Foreign Policy experts analyze the state of trans-Atlantic relations in light of the pandemic.

As the mystery of Kim Jong Un’s health dominates the news, it is important to note how significantly the dictator’s own whims and cult of personality guide the direction of North Korea. Building on her new book, Jung Pak writes that understanding what makes Kim tick and the incentives that structure his decisionmaking is essential for any policymaking toward North Korea.

Additionally, Pak will offer her insights on Kim Jong Un as a Korea scholar and former intelligence officer in a webinar tomorrow at 12:30 PM ET. Register to watch.

A note on the Brookings response to COVID-19:

The Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. will be closed through at least June 1. For more information, read our full guidance here. As Brookings experts continue to assess the global impacts of COVID-19, read the latest analysis and policy recommendations at our coronavirus page or stay up to date with our coronavirus newsletter.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

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