The Great Unmasking: American Exceptionalism in the Age of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes the United States’ COVID-19 response from the lens of American exceptionalism. The historic function of American exceptionalism is reviewed to provide context for the problematic response to COVID-19 in the United States. American exceptionalism, it is argued, has justified disastrous economic and military policies which have exacerbated the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and abroad. American exceptionalism has been unmasked by the United States’ domestic and international response to COVID-19 as a set of dangerous myths that protect the interests of private capital and imperial hegemony. China's adherence to the principles of multipolarity and win-win cooperation is explored as an alternative to the ideology of American exceptionalism and the model of US imperial hegemony which the ideology defends and preserves.

KEYWORDS:

• American exceptionalism
• COVID-19
• multipolarity
• win-win cooperation
• China

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on Contributor

Danny Haiphong is an independent researcher, journalist, and activist residing in New York City. He is the contributing editor to Black Agenda Report and is co-author of the book, American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People's History of Fake News—From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror published in 2019. His main areas of research include the interrelation of white supremacy and US imperialism, the ideology of American exceptionalism, and the historic struggle for socialism worldwide.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 See, “China Issues Report on Human Rights Violations in US.” Republished in China Daily, March 24, 2020. Accessed April 13, 2020. http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202003/13/WS5e6b41a0a31012821727ef8c.html.

2 See, “COVID-19 Forecast for the United States.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated April 19, 2020. Accessed April 20, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/forecasting-us.html.

3 See, “Six Charts That Show How Hard US Sanctions Have Hit Iran.” BBC, December 5, 2019. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48119109.

4 See, “Timeline of China Releasing Information on COVID-19 and Advancing International Cooperation on Epidemic Response.” China Daily, April 8. Accessed April 23, 2020. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202004/08/WS5e8d0abaa310aeaeeed509be.html.

5 Ibid.

6 See, “China's Envoy Contributes 250,000 Masks to Iran over COVID-19 Outbreak.” Xinhuanet. February 25, 2020. Accessed April 23, 2020. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/25/c_138818028.htm.

7 See, “Feature: New Chinese-Built PCR Lab Relieves COVID-19 Testing Pressure in Iraq.” Xinhuanet. March 31, 2020. Accessed April 23, 2020. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-03/31/c_138932451.htm.