article describes, the WHO led the way from 1959 to the mid-1970s in marshaling global resources to achieve eradication of smallpox everywhere...and this was during the time that the USSR and Mao Tse-tung were aligned against us. In fact, the article below describes how the U.S. and the Soviets came together on this quest...one example is that we provided funding to help them produce 450M doses of smallpox vaccine...so cooperation can be achieved, because it happened before on a global scale. But your hesitancy is not unfounded...we were more cohesive then in our strategy formulation and execution, plus there was no "social media" and round the clock punditry for politicians to deal with, to name just a few distractions...so, I would acknowledge that the task is perhaps more daunting...but nowhere near "impossible".
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/08/27/the-us-cooperated-with-the-soviets-on-smallpox-it-should-do-the-same-with-china-on-covid-19-vaccine-distribution/
As for the "leadership" issue, we do have 'common ground'...everyone wants to get back to normal asap, so no one should be expected to stand in the way of vaccine distribution, testing or contact tracing when the new administration takes over. Based on Biden's choices for CDC Director (very highly regarded ID specialist (per our family ID Doc), Rochelle Walensky) and Chief of Staff, Ron Klain (Ebola Tsar), he'll have experienced, successful people in charge...this should be cause for optimism. We still have the best Docs and Specialists on the planet and the rest of the world is ready and waiting to work with us.
All we can do now is cheer them on and hope for the best...then get back to policy debates, which hopefully get done with the goal of seeing real "progress" instead of ideological "purity". I personally know about this first hand in my "lobbying" of my congressman on the energy (nuclear) issue...I'm making progress, based on staff member replies, but "it ain't over 'til it's over".
BTW, I tried to get use different colored text, but failed...what's your secret?...really like that touch.
Link: https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html