In Albert Camus’ The Plague, the protagonist helplessly laments, “I have no idea what's awaiting me, or what will happen when this all ends. For the moment I know this: there are sick people and they need curing.” But the world is also angry, and there is a pent-up volcano of rage against the Chinese regime for its reckless coverup of a devouring pandemic. Trump’s aggressive rhetoric and trade wars against China may seem a mild version of what’s to come, no matter who wins this November’s elections.  

Richard Javad Heydarian is a Manila-based academic and author. His forthcoming book is The Indo-Pacific Age: US, China and the New Global Struggle for Mastery.

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