• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUUkraine
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Suyash Rai",
    "Rahul Verma"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie India"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie India",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [
    "Political Economy"
  ],
  "regions": [
    "South Asia",
    "India"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Domestic Politics"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media
Carnegie India

Covid-19: An epidemic is an epidemic. A war is a war

The description of the battle against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as a “war” has graduated from an analogy to a metaphor.

Link Copied
By Suyash Rai and Rahul Verma
Published on Apr 12, 2020
Project hero Image

Project

Political Economy

This program studies contemporary developments in India’s political economy, with a view towards understanding and informing India’s developmental choices. Scholars in the program analyze economic and regulatory policies, design and working of public institutions, interfaces between politics and the economy, and performance of key sectors of the economy such as finance and land.

Learn More

Source: Hindustan Times

The description of the battle against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as a “war” has graduated from an analogy to a metaphor. The war metaphor is easily accessible. Most people feel that they are familiar with wars. But the war metaphor can have negative consequences in dealing with this crisis.

Read the Full Text

This article was originally published by the Hindustan Times.

About the Authors

Suyash Rai

Former Fellow, Carnegie India

Suyash Rai was a fellow at Carnegie India. His research focuses on the political economy of economic reforms, and the performance of public institutions in India.

Rahul Verma

Rahul Verma

Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi

Rahul Verma is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi and visiting assistant professor at Ashoka University. 

Authors

Suyash Rai
Former Fellow, Carnegie India
Suyash Rai
Rahul Verma
Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi
Rahul Verma
Domestic PoliticsSouth AsiaIndia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Win or Lose, Orbán has Broken Hungary’s Democracy

    Hungarians head to the polls on April 12 for an election of national and European consequence. Three different outcomes are on the cards, each with their own implications for the EU.

      Zsuzsanna Szelényi

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Is France Shifting Rightward?

    The far right failed to win big in France’s municipal elections. But that’s not good news for the country’s left wing, which remained disunited while the broader right consolidated its momentum ahead of the 2027 presidential race.

      Catherine Fieschi

  • EU democracy support policies
    Paper
    European Democracy Support Annual Review 2025

    European democracy support strategy in 2025 prioritized protecting democratic norms within Europe. This signals the start of a structural recalibration of the EU’s approach to democracy support.

      • Elena-Viudes-Egea
      • +6

      Richard Youngs, ed., Elena Viudes Egea, Zselyke Csaky, …

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Is It Time for Europe to Reengage With Belarus?

    In return for a trade deal and the release of political prisoners, the United States has lifted sanctions on Belarus, breaking the previous Western policy consensus. Should Europeans follow suit, using their leverage to extract concessions from Lukashenko, or continue to isolate a key Kremlin ally?

      Thomas de Waal, ed.

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    New Tricks and AI Tools in Hungary’s High-Stakes Election

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces his most serious challenge yet in the April 2026 parliamentary elections. All of Europe should monitor the Fidesz campaign: It will use unprecedented methods of electoral manipulation to secure victory and maintain power.

      Zsuzsanna Szelényi

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.