now that the UK's soft power is crumbling so hard that it reveals them to simply be an island of hooligans, the entire Commonwealth inherits this brand too
in response to what you are saying, we can't exclude the Commonwealth from "the West", but maybe it's about time to make a term that does essentially do that. The complement to the union in graph theory. The West except the Commonwealth.
NZ is not a great example of an average Western country, with regards to a pandemic.
For one thing, it is a small and remote island.
For another thing, it supplies most of the world's sterile bovine serums because the country has never had a case of mad cow disease. Laugh all you want, but that's a lucrative market and they are very good at border controls.
Almost exactly the same size as the island of Great Britain, and while distanced somewhat as the crow flies, precisely one (1) plane fight away from many places.
Hmm... Remote, yes, but wouldn't describe it as a small island.
It's actually a collection of island, of a similar land mass to Great Britain or Japan.
But yes, being remote, and being islands surrounded by lots of ocean definitely helps.
Ok, but the core issue you're intentionally ignoring is that nobody wanders into New Zealand without being vetted by border control. Except for a couple of oddballs who boat in (to a couple specific ports) every single person comes through an international import.
The core issue you and everyone else who makes this islands arguement is intentionally ignoring is that no country has been flooded with covid spreaders through a practical inability to enforce its borders. That Czechia or anywhere else doesn't only have people coming in through a couple specific locations is a policy decision. They could effectively be an island if they wanted to.
The US has tried and failed for 80 years to close its southern border.
Unless you're suggesting the US station ten million soldiers on the border and shoot anyone who tries to enter (hint: this is not politically feasible) closing the US is hopeless.
It doesn't matter "how much" came through. If even a handful of cases come through the border, and you have no internal restrictions, it's exponential spread. You either have 100% hard borders, or there's no point.
