The real risk to America’s democracy Heatwaves and Miyawaki forests Lessons from China’s economy Football: politics by other means JULY 3RD–9TH 2021 The long goodbye 012 High Jewelry Bravery Collection, Le Mythe Necklace. White gold, sapphires, emerald and diamonds. 012 012 #ModernMBA It’s Time for the Business School of the Future World-class network. Mobile fi rst. Innovative tuition model. Educating leaders who are shaping the future of business. Do you have what it takes? Apply at quantic.edu Selective Admission / Accredited / MBA / Executive MBA 012 Contents The Economist July 3rd 2021 5 The world this week Asia 8 A summary of political 23 North Korea’s economy and business news 24 Meet India’s Stalin Reviving Japan’s sento Leaders 25 Schrödinger’s government 11 After the pandemic 25 The long goodbye in Malaysia Banyan Religion in India 12 American democracy 26 The real risk China 13 Heatwaves Mercury rising 27 A bigger aircraft-carrier 13 Hong Kong and finance 28 Opting out of the rat race Code red 30 Chaguan The party’s 14 Europeans in Britain 100th birthday bash On the cover A vote of confidence The pandemic still has a long way to go, but glimpses of its Letters legacy are emerging: leader, 17 On Afghanistan, Tesla, United States page 11. Evolution is providing a cultures, unesco, Brazil, 31 The big lie and the growing range of viral variants: Geordies constitution briefing, page 18. Our new 34 Border disorder normalcy index shows that Briefing lives are only halfway back to 35 ufos: the truth, revealed! 18 Covid-19 variants pre-pandemic norms: Graphic Lexington There goes the Very bad for the 36 detail, page 76. How to assess neighbourhood unvaccinated the costs and benefits of lockdowns, page 61. What If? The Americas Post-pandemic work is here. 37 Food in Cuba And it is messy, page 55 Our annual supplement of scenarios considers 38 Indigenous Canadians The real risk to America’s global health in a 40 Bello National identities democracy Partisan election post-covid world administration is a greater worry After page 40 than voter suppression: leader, page 12, and analysis, page 31 Middle East & Africa Heatwaves and Miyawaki 41 Africa’s third wave forests How to protect people from the growing threat posed 42 Jailing Jacob Zuma by extreme heat: leader, page 13. 43 Ethiopia’s army is routed Could miniature forests help 44 Egypt gets active in Gaza air-condition cities? Page 67 45 Finding kabsa in the Gulf Lessons from China’s economy Why our departing China economics editor remains optimistic about the country’s growth: Free exchange, page 66 Football: politics by other Bartleby Companies can means Why politicians will get sucked in to spending always meddle in the beautiful too much on their image, game at the European page 58 championship: Charlemagne, page 49 → Activating the digital element of your subscription means that you can search our archive, read all of our daily journalism and listen to audio versions of our stories. Just visit economist.com/activate Contents continues overleaf 012 6 Contents The Economist July 3rd 2021 Europe Finance & economics 46 Greece, Turkey and 61 Lockdown costs German submarines and benefits 47 Europe’s foreign aid 64 Hot property in America 48 Montenegro totters 64 Hong Kong’s banking code 48 Dick Leonard remembered 65 Buttonwood The carry 49 Charlemagne Politics and trade returns football 66 Free exchange A decade of Chinese lessons Britain 50 Hello to the five million Science & technology 51 Covid­19 conspiracists 67 Miyawaki forests 52 Bagehot Sajid Javid, the 68 A virtual clinical trial comeback kid 69 A new human species? International 53 The attention recession Books & arts 70 A history of the Pacific 71 A novel of modern life 72 Stanford’s origin story 72 The future of war 73 Johnson Check your privilege Business 55 Post­pandemic offices Economic & financial indicators 57 The future of tech hqs 75 Statistics on 42 economies 58 Bartleby The perils of pr 59 The film business Graphic detail 59 Facebook 1­0 ftc 76 Lives are only halfway back to pre­pandemic norms 60 Schumpeter The cost of the cloud Obituary 78 Milkha Singh, “The Flying Sikh” Volume 440 Number 9252 Published since September Subscription service Please to take part in “a severe contest between For our full range of subscription offers, including The best way to contact our Customer Service intelligence, which presses forward, digital only or print and digital bundled, visit: team is via phone or live chat. 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Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Economist Newspaper Limited. Published every week, except for a year-end double issue, by The Economist Newspaper Limited. The Economist is a registered trademark of The Economist Newspaper Limited. Publisher: The Economist. Printed by Times Printers (in Singapore). MCI (P) No.045/09/2020. PPS 677/11/2012(022861) 012 012 8 The world this week Politics The Economist July 3rd 2021 covid­19 vaccine. A whis­ cide, war crimes and crimes tleblower also denounced against humanity said to have Coronavirus briefs alleged irregularities in a been committed in the Darfur To 6am GMT Jul 1st 221 contract for the Indian­made region in 2003. Covaxin. The vaccine, which Weekly confirmed cases by area, m 3 has yet to be approved by a The second round of France’s India Western regulator, cost Brazil local elections were a dis­ 2 more per dose than any other appointment for Marine Le Pen Western Europe and was acquired by a third­ and her National Rally party. 1 party firm. President Jair Bol­ She had high hopes that the Other US sonaro denied wrongdoing. party would for the first time 0 The health ministry suspend­ take control of one of the 2020 2021 Much of America’s Pacific ed the contract. regional governments, in the Vaccination doses north­west and Canada’s west south. But other parties % of over-11s with coast baked in a heatwave. Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled teamed up against her candi­ Total ’000 1st dose nd Police in Vancouver reported that sections of a law which dates, who lost. President Malta 659 92 77 more than 130 sudden deaths, prohibit recreational use of Emmanuel Macron’s La Iceland 391 90 46 most of them old people or marijuana were unconstitu­ République en Marche also Kuwait 3,100 84 4 those with underlying tional, in another step towards failed to win any regions. Israel 10,749 83 77 conditions. The extreme tem­ narrow legalisation. When a Mongolia 3,720 82 72 Bhutan 485 78 0 peratures were caused by a bill currently in parliament is Britain and the European Canada 36,775 78 34 phenomenon known as a “heat enacted, those who want to Union agreed a truce in the Chile 22,501 77 62 dome”, in which an area of smoke the drug recreationally, “sausage war”. They delayed Uruguay 3,883 77 56 high pressure in the atmo­ or grow plants at home, would for three months a ban on Britain 77,304 77 56 sphere stops air escaping. be able to apply for a permit. some British meat products Sources: Johns Hopkins University CSSE; The sale of cannabis would being sold in Northern Ire- Our World in Data; United Nations President Joe Biden backed continue to be illegal; Andrés land, a consequence of the down over his claim that he Manuel López Obrador, the post­Brexit arrangement Australia’s states closed their would not sign a bipartisan president, has called the idea which in effect keeps the prov­ borders as new clusters of the infrastructure bill worth of a legal market “immoral”. ince in the eu’s single market Delta variant emerged across roughly $1trn unless it was and customs union. the country. Around 80% of accompanied by more expan­ America carried out air strikes Australians are now living sive provisions off the Demo­ against Iranian­backed mili­ The military junta in under restrictions and their cratic party’s wishlist, such as tias in Iraqand Syria. The Myanmar released nearly “travel bubble” with New tax increases. Mr Biden had Pentagon said the militias had 2,300 people who had been Zealand has been suspended. tied the two together after conducted drone strikes locked up for protesting Just 5% of the population has striking a deal with a group of against Americans in Iraq. against the army’s coup. Some been vaccinated. senators from both sides last activists and journalists crit­ week, riling Republicans. Yair Lapid, Israel’s foreign ical of the regime were also Mixing different covid­19 minister, became the highest­ released. No reason was given vaccines could boost immu­ Florida’s governor declared an ranking Israeli official to visit for the move, but the junta nity against the coronavirus, emergency after a beach­front the United Arab Emirates (uae) may be trying to temper pop­ according to researchers at condominium building in since the countries signed a ular ire.