AP: Clashes and unity calls at U.N. on World War II anniversary
“A U.N. Security Council meeting on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe on Friday saw a clash between Russia and some Europeans, calls for unity to fight COVID-19, and warnings that the seeds of a new global conflict must be prevented from growing. Nearly 70 speakers, including more than 45 foreign ministers and the European Union’s top diplomat, took part in the informal video meeting organized by Estonia, which holds the council presidency this month, on lessons learned from the war for preventing future atrocities and the Security Council’s responsibility…” (Lederer, 5/9).

Washington Post: The shadow of World War II hangs over the coronavirus age
“The coronavirus pandemic has reminded us of how much World War II is hard-wired in the West’s political imagination. … For weeks, historians have reached back to the experience of World War II in search of useful lessons for this moment. In Europe, the trauma of the war now forever lurks beneath the continent’s appeals for unity and solidarity. In the United States, the great wartime mobilization of resources and manpower seemed to reflect what this unique nation was capable of achieving when set against a global, existential threat. Of course, there’s a limit to these metaphors’ potency…” (Tharoor, 5/11).