In this episode of The Commonwealth, Andrew Schwartz engages Michaela Simoneau and co-host J Stephen Morrison on their newly published analysis of the post-Covid moment, “The Worst is Over – Now What?’. How do we define this moment we have entered, and what are the factors that lead inexorably towards pessimism? Inversely, what is the argument for a positive, sober, realism? Optimism rests on pursuing five pathways for progress: rebuild trust, sustain bipartisan legislative achievements, operationalize new security doctrines, accelerate new technologies, and elevate US health diplomacy.