Humanitarian disasters ordinarily provide brief respites of global cooperation. Human lives take on a rare starring role, and sometimes even geopolitical adversaries assist one another. After devastating earthquakes hit Iran in 2003 and 2012, even the United States pitched in to help. But during the coronavirus pandemic, the two most energetic Samaritans—Russia and China—are using their ostensible assistance for geopolitical gains.
Foreign Policy: Beware of Russian and Chinese aid in response to the coronavirus
People walk on a bridge over the Moskva River, with the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters and the Kremlin's towers seen in the background, in downtown Moscow on Feb. 13, 2020.
