No winners or losers in vaccine diplomacy... yet

Trying to catch up: Some 3.5 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccines donated by US government arriving at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota in July. — AFP

COVID-19 vaccines were supposed to be a golden diplomatic opportunity for great powers and aspiring rivals to woo friends – and even enemies – in need. It isn’t going to plan.

Russia was the first to approve a vaccine and the most enthusiastic marketer, but has fallen far short of its hyperbolic delivery promises. China has done a better job of stepping up, but is plagued by questions over the relatively lower efficacy of its shots – even if they appear to hold up against more troublesome variants. Western countries, meanwhile, were providing far too little even before the current scramble to secure booster doses began. And neither scattered bilateral efforts nor unimpressive global ones are translating into real geopolitical influence.