Speaker(s): Professor Assis Malaquias, Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, Dr Folashadé Soulé | A panel of leading African commentators will reflect on the global response to the health dimensions of the pandemic in Africa. Our speakers will look at what the global response to the pandemic tells us about the emerging multi-polar world, the role of cooperation and collective action in this emerging multi-polarity, the impact of US-China competition and the significance for African states as autonomous actors in this changing global context. Assis Malaquias is Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Studies and Maritime Affairs at the California State University (Maritime). Elizabeth Sidiropoulos is the Chief Executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs. Folashadé Soulé is a Senior Research Associate in International Relations at the University of Oxford (Blavatnik School of Government). Chris Alden is Co-Director of the Global South Unit and Professor in International Relations at LSE. This event is part of LSE's public event series - COVID-19: The Policy Response. LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. We connect academic knowledge of diplomacy and strategy with the people who use it. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSECOVID19