Israeli Professor Yuval Noah Harari said recently in an online interview that he would prefer Greece to lead the world in its response to the coronavirus pandemic, due to the results it has experienced so far.
Harari, a historian and philosopher, speaking with ”The Late Late Show with James Corden” on Thursday, had harsh words for the stance taken by the Trump administration and the way Washington has chosen to respond on the international stage.
You can see what Harari said about Washington’s position between 10:20 and 11:30 of the video below.
Answering a question about who the world should look to for guidance, at a time when the United States obviously does not want this role anymore, Harari was clear.
”Greece is doing an amazing job in containing this epidemic,” Harari said emphatically.
”If I had to choose, say between Greece and the United States, (on) who should be leading the world now, giving us a plan of action, I would definitely choose Greece,” the Israeli philosopher said.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, actually thanked Harari for his remarks from his personal Twitter account.
”On behalf of the Greek people, I would like to thank Yuval Noah Harari for his kind words. During these trying times, everyone has had to make sacrifices, but we stand united and determined in the fight against COVID-19,” Mitsotakis noted.
On behalf of the Greek people, I would like to thank @harari_yuval for his kind words. During these trying times, everyone has had to make sacrifices, but we stand united and determined in the fight against COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/Z8jkQlEerM
— Kyriakos Mitsotakis (@kmitsotakis) April 16, 2020
Harari is a prominent Israeli historian and a professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
He has written the popular science bestsellers ”Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” and ”Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.”