At the launch of the Brand Finance's 2020 Global Soft Power Index in February - and how long ago that seems now - Ban Ki-moon spoke passionately about the importance of soft power and global citizenship during a time of trade wars and increasingly hardened borders. "Soft power," he proclaimed, "transcends borders, builds bridges, and brings the world together through dialogue and mutual understanding." 

If Ban Ki-moon was concerned that the world may be withdrawing from global citizenship in February, what happened in March validated his concerns. Once COVID-19 hit on a global scale, for many citizens and governments, concern and awareness retreated inside national borders entirely. Germany initially imposed a ban on German-based companies exporting essential equipment to other nations. The UK Government faced backlash when it was exposed that PPE was being sold abroad despite British shortages. The ‘America First’ ideal took on a new meaning when Trump formally retracted American financial aid from the World Health Organisation in the midst of a global pandemic, citing undue Chinese influence on the organisation.

The ideals of global citizenship and camaraderie were put to the test, and the world’s purportedly most open and democratic states responded by closing up shop. And as international aid retreated and the world went into lockdown, a soft power vacuum formed – one that was rapidly filled by ‘mask diplomacy’ as China raced to provide aid around the world.

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