Last March—shortly after the world went into lockdown—I published an article in this column titled, "International Arbitration in the Midst of COVID-19" (March 25, 2020), in which I tried to anticipate what the future might bring. Here we are a year later, still effectively under lockdown, and I thought it time to take stock of where we are.

I ended my piece last year with the hope that "we will face the best-case rather than the worst case predictions of what lies ahead." Sadly, that hope was misplaced. In May 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the United States as a result of COVID—a heartbreaking number in itself. Yet, as of the time of writing, the United States has suffered over 500,000 COVID-related deaths, the highest of any country in the world. And the United States is not alone—many countries have faced staggering devastation; massive loss of life; enduring health consequences; lost jobs; businesses shuttered.