Top foreign relations expert of the United States pitied the world's ill preparations for the "predicted" pandemic in the age of globalization, and urged world leaders for full-swing wartime measures of "necessity" not "choice."

"This war should not have surprised us. It was predictable and was predicted," Richard Haass, president of the foreign policy think tank Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an opinion article on Monday.

"Pandemics are not black swans; they are baked into the cake of globalization. And they can start anywhere." 

The article came as the confirmed cases of COVID-19 exceeded 1.34 million globally, with the death toll surpassing 74,000, already affecting 184 countries, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

The op-ed published in Project Syndicate, an international media organization focuses on analyzing global topics "At War With a Virus," metaphorizes the virus as war as it poses "imminent threat," costing lives and destroying economies.

Haass, also a former U.S. State Department official, pointed out that despite world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, branding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a war, they are not responding "quickly and decisively," which plays an important role in fighting the virus. 

"It is often said that speed kills; when it comes to heading off or limiting pandemics, it is delay that kills," the expert said. 

For instruments to stem the virus, he stressed the importance of maximizing policies of social distancing and testing as some countries are just casually doing it, and not applying to the whole nation. 

"Closing borders can be helpful (particularly early on, before the virus becomes widespread in a society), but it is no panacea," Haass added. 

The senior expert also points out that most of the world is not prepared as they should have in stockpiling protective gear and medical equipment during "peacetime" and rehearsing top-to-bottom government responses.

Last but not least, he warned that countries shouldn't be hastening to reopen their economies as he noticed world leaders setting dates and making media announcements of doing do. 

"We need to fight a holding action on the economic front by providing relief to workers and businesses, until the war on the virus is mostly won and recovery can begin in earnest," the expert said. 

"Terminating the war too soon will only extend its duration and increase its cost," Haass warned.