When the World Closed Its Doors

The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders

Edward Alden, Laurie Trautman

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English

Oxford University Press
01 February 2025

History; Migration, immigration & emigration; Ethnic minorities & multicultural studies; Espionage & secret services; Political geography

A detailed exploration of the most sweeping government border closures in human history during the Covid-19 pandemic and the implications for the future of global mobility.

More people traveled internationally in 2019 than in any year in history. After COVID began its rapid spread throughout the world, though, international travel plummeted, and nations across the world hardened their borders. For the first time, governments took the same tools that have been used against less privileged migrants and asylum seekers and turned them on citizens from countries that had long enjoyed relatively unfettered travel--and sometimes on their own citizens.

In When the World Closed Its Doors, Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman tell the story of how nearly every country in the world shut its borders to respond to an external threat and explain how this global shock to the system ended up transforming state border policies around the world. They detail the consequences of the COVID border restrictions--couples separated for years, children blocked from reuniting with their parents, container ship workers moving essential goods trapped at sea, pregnant citizens barred from returning home--and explain why governments used their harshest containment measures on those coming from outside. Throughout, Alden and Trautman focus on human stories to show the multiple impacts that states' increasing restrictiveness has had--economic, demographic, social, and political. And the fallout continues: governments left unchecked will continue to restrict borders with little regard to the collateral damage and disruption they cause.

A sweeping overview of the re-bordering of the world, both during and after 2020, this synthetic, wide-angle view of a singular shock to the international systems of travel and migration highlights why citizens need better protections and governments more robust guardrails.

By: Edward Alden, Laurie Trautman
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 237mm, Width: 165mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 671g
ISBN: 9780197697818
ISBN 10: 019769781X
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 01 February 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

"Chapter 1: The ""Summer of Love"" Chapter 2:ÂThe World Shuts Down Chapter 3: Borders, State Authority and the Right to Travel Chapter 4 The Siege of Point Roberts: How Border Cooperation Broke Down in North America Chapter 5 The Return of European National Borders Chapter 6 No Man is an Island (But Some Countries Are): The Asia-Pacific Chapter 7 China's Anti-Covid Great Wall Chapter 8 Keeping the Doors Open Epilogue: The Next Pandemic NotesÂ Index"

Edward Alden is Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Alden's career spans more than three decades in journalism, think tanks, and academia. He was the bureau chief for the Financial Times newspaper in Toronto, Canada, and Washington, DC before joining the Council on Foreign Relations in 2007. In addition to his own books and articles, he has worked with senior US policymakers on in-depth investigations of issues such as US immigration policy, US trade policy, border security, and the future of work. Since 2019 he has also been a visiting professor at Western Washington University, and he currently writes a column for Foreign Policy. Laurie Trautman is the Director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University--the only one of its kind in the United States. As a leading expert in Canada-US border policy issues, she works across academia, government, and the private sector to improve cross-border mobility and collaboration. In addition to authoring policy briefs and academic publications, Dr. Trautman is an active participant in cross-border working groups and a regular contributor to the media. She is also a Global Fellow with the Woodrow Wilson Center's Canada Institute and holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Oregon.

Reviews for When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders

The authors do a masterful recounting of the impact that border closures around the world had during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the real genius of this book lies in the careful lessons they distill on how we can manage borders better both during regular times and during future pandemics. It's a must-read for anyone concerned about growing economic interdependence among nations and the future of mobility. * Andrew Selee, President, Migration Policy Institute * This book brings an invaluable contribution to carrying forward some of the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, which many governments have failed to do. By humanizing the impacts of border restrictions enacted by countries around the world, Alden and Trautman make a compelling case for protecting cross-border mobility, which is becoming increasingly vulnerable even as more people live cross-border lives. When the World Closed its Doors is an essential read for anyone whose personal or professional life crosses borders. * Christine Gregoire, CEO, Challenge Seattle, and Former Governor of Washington State * By combining thought-provoking analysis with storytelling that allows us to zoom in on and connect with specific experiences, Alden and Trautman expertly breakdown the complexities of the pandemic's impacts on communities such as asylum seekers, ties to the increased politicization of immigration that we've witnessed through moves from Brexit to the handling of the US southern border, and potential ramifications for the future of government authority. This book is an important contribution to how we understand the world we now find ourselves in--and how we can work to open doors for all of humanity. * María Teresa Kumar, Co-Founder and President, Voto Latino *