Eli Lake, Columnist

China and Russia Are Struggling Under Covid-19, Too

Many U.S. rivals may not be able to take advantage of America’s inattention.

April 24, 2020 at 5:05 PM UTC

Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.

Putin faces challenges, too.
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

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The Covid-19 pandemic has turned America’s focus inward. U.S. politics is all about economic relief, public health and reopening plans. Normally such myopia would degrade America’s standing in the world — but it’s not, necessarily, in large part because many U.S. adversaries are struggling as well.

Speaking at a web briefing from the Hoover Institution in California on Thursday, President Donald Trump’s second national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, ticked off the many dire challenges the virus is presenting U.S. rivals.