Today's world calls for pragmatism, not tribal politics

THE spectacle of the Face Mask Wars in the United States - the incomprehensible partisan clash over the use of a piece of cloth that all healthcare professionals agree protects one against the coronavirus - demonstrates the extent to which tribal politics now affects policymaking.

That face masks, perhaps the most visible manifestation of the Covid-19 pandemic, have become a political football, igniting debate and resistance, suggests that a commitment to a political agenda can override considerations that are based on science and common sense.

As the coronavirus outbreak worsens, communities across the US are now torn over one of the most basic measures to limit its spread: requiring the use of masks in businesses and public spaces. The result is a widening national divide that could have deadly consequences for millions of people who are denied a layer of protection. It is ironic that this form of cultural war is impeding sensible policymaking in a country that not so long ago celebrated pragmatism - the way of thinking of or dealing with problems in a practical way, rather than by employing grand theories or abstract principles.