New Delhi, May 19 -- The month of April brought with it unilateral actions, escalations and (depending on your point of view) provocations. This has been true across the world in areas as varied as trade, terrorism and security. Fortunately, this has been followed by de-escalation and 'climb-downs' in many instances. But the process has left the door open for the setting of 'new normals' that just some time ago may have been unthinkable.

The term 'new normal' grew fashionable as a consequence of the covid pandemic. Looking ahead at that time, a Pew Survey showed that a plurality of experts believed that the pandemic would: 1) worsen inequality; 2) increase the influence and power of big tech firms; 3) multiply the spread of misinformatio...