An expressive Tweet with substantiated figures written by a professor at the Mass Media Faculty in Kuwait University Dr Muhammad Dhaifallah Al-Otaibi, concerning the number of deaths in the first two months of 2020, shows a strange contrast as he wrote:
“According to German University of Hamburg, the number of deaths recorded in the first two months of 2020 stands as follows: Codiv-19 (2,360), common cold (69,602), malaria (140,584), suicide (153,696), road accidents (193,479), HIV-AIDS (240,950), smoking (716,498) and cancer (1,177,141).”
Dr Al-Otaibi asks: Is this panic intentional, or there are political and economic motives behind it?
In my opinion, the panic was stirred intentionally in a bid to show the real fact in the aforementioned statistics, in addition to that, there could be politically hidden agendas to exploit a circumstance to achieve certain goals or implement a deal. In politics, expect the unexpected!
Economically, I think the question is directed (for notification purpose) to the pharmaceutical companies now living in their golden age under the principle, “misfortunes of some might be beneficial to some”, i.e. “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”.
However, Dr Al-Otaibi puts forward facts in a bid to confirm the above mentioned statistics when he said:
“First of all, the statistics were quoted from the internet platforms of Egyptians in Kuwait and reached me via WhatsApp and other social media platforms, and I would like to discuss this issue with my students (I am one of them) by asking: whether or not all possibilities are available and acceptable at the moment or if panic is politically and economically driven?”
Is the purpose of the media campaign to settle the trade war between China and America or reduce financial markets to prepare the stage of financial markets for mergers and acquisitions or to sell US Treasury bonds to cover the fiscal deficit in them?
I concur with him on the panic being politically and economically driven. I believe in this particular characteristic so much so that we should not go far, given that everything gets affected in times of panic, and I understand from his words that it’s a hint about conspiracy theory.
However, according to the statistics, I believe it does not exist or rather, its fake news despite the fertile ground for this theory to blossom under the current global situation and luring timing.
I believe that the trade war between China and America will not be settled through the new coronavirus (CODIV-19); it will be done in breaking one’s bone. Perhaps, the actual conflict could be an intelligence war that paves the way for the collapse of one of the two giants even though the US seems to have the upper hand when the push comes to shove.
As for reducing financial markets, I think it is saturated with decline, while mergers and acquisitions are possible ... why not! Especially when China has been working over the years to implement several acquisitions, the most famous of which is the Swedish Volvo, the most secured car in the world.
Also, the acquisitions have extended to sports field, like Italian football clubs, Inter Milan and Milan, to mention a few, but the most palatable bite is the takeovers of giant companies in the United States. Here, I think the oversight’s scissors will be a barrier.
The crown of China is “Huawei,” and I think it’s the main target, presumably, of the United States. China without Huawei is Dubai without the Burj Khalifa.
Dr Muhammad Dhaifallah Al-Otaibi deals with research from the point of view of media influence and the statistic results of such influence, and then puts several predictions and possibilities into consideration.
As politicians have their own understanding, so is an economist. A journalist also has his own perspective, especially if he is a professor of mass communication and research.
My dialogue with my professor, Dr Al-Otaibi, is not yet done, especially as the new coronavirus is still a concern for everyone in the world. Nonetheless, the conspiracy theory and trade war may be reasonable, and the corona may indeed be unrelated to neither trade war nor conspiracy. Whatever the case, we live in a world where politics is like a stormy sea with huge waves that cannot know when to calm and settle down.
May the Almighty Allah protect us all!
Twitter@alzmi1969
“Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come”, French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement, Victor Marie Hugo (1802-1885).
By Yousef Awadh Al-Azmi
