Book excerpt: Survival, the IISS’s bimonthly journal, challenges conventional wisdom and brings fresh, often controversial, perspectives on strategic issues of the moment. In this issue: François Heisbourg argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the power of the state in its traditional role as protector of society from outside threats Lawrence Freedman assesses that the UK misjudged the speed and severity of the pandemic, but ultimately followed the science Gigi Kwik Gronvall describes the extraordinary global mobilisation of the scientific community as a source of hope amid the pandemic Mark Fitzpatrick warns that US sanctions against Iran not only damage America’s reputation, but also violate its moral duty to prevent further deaths of Iranians from COVID-19 And eight more thought-provoking pieces, as well as our regular book reviews and noteworthy column