Stavridis: Coronavirus a 'Crisis, Not Apocalypse'

The coronavirus requires the world to control international travel better, but the United States is "well equipped" to handle the crisis because of Vice President Mike Pence's leadership, according to& former NATO Commander Adm. James Stavridis.

"I think it is a crisis, but it's not the apocalypse," Stavridis told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y. "It's going to require international cooperation, so nation's are going to have to work together to share information, work together on vaccines, to share palliative drugs to reduce the fevers and so forth.

"But, above all, we've got to control international travel better than we have done globally."

Stavridis praised Pence leading the effort in the U.S. "because he can pick up the phone and call anybody in the country and get immediate response."

"If we get to an epidemic in the United States, it's going to require local cooperation," Stavridis told host John Catsimatidis. "I think Vice President Pence, having been a governor, having been a congressman, now being Vice President, he's well equipped for that."

Stavridis suggested the military might ultimately be needed to help quarantine the contaminated.

"But, no, this is not going to be the end of the world," Stavridis said. "But we're going to have to deal with it. It's going to be a bumpy three or four months for sure."

On the Taliban-Afghanistan negotiations, Stavridis is optimistic.

"I think there is some good news here," he said. The Taliban are going to have to live up to the promises they made to have direct talks with the Afghan government.

"But I think there is a possibility here of peace," he continued. "I think it'll take six months to a year to really know whether we’re going to have a successful outcome or not. Put me down as hopeful, but certainly aware of the many pitfalls that lie ahead."

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