Covid-19 and populist leadership in US and Brazil: Impact on international cooperation and global solidarity

AbstractDid populist leadership in the US and Brazil hinder effective management of Covid-19 at the international level? The study carries out exploratory research to understand leadership styles of Donald Trump in US and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and their populist response to international cooperation and institutional coordination related to the global pandemic. Using a comparative approach, the study reviews how populist style of leadership in the two states has impacted on international cooperation and collaboration during Covid-19. The research employs a liberal institutional approach, referring to global institutions, international health protocols, and global cooperation as necessary avenues for dealing with the global health crisis. The article argues that US and Brazilian leadership response in handling the crisis demonstrated populist features, challenging international cooperation while discrediting international health institutions and protocols. In doing so, the two leaders undermined transnational and global institutional cooperation, while they blamed outsiders, associating them with the outbreak of the pandemic. In evading responsibility, the two states populist leaderships’ orientation undermined effective management internationally by blaming (and calling them ‘others’) foreigners, immigrants and ethnicities (mainly Chinese) for the spread of Covid-19.