Political Science

Over the past couple of decades the definition of a security threat has considerably evolved. From hostile countries to terrorist groups and insurgencies, the threats that countries face today have taken up many different forms. Changing times have stressed the need for us to re-examine our notions of security. A rapidly expanding but still relatively novel idea is to examine the overlap between security and health issues. While most people would agree that health issues can cause security concerns, it is important to understand that not all health issues pose a security risk. The common perception is that most countries underestimate the security risks that can be caused be consistently ignoring health issues. The major reason for this negligent behaviour is that health issues dont pose an immediate security risk but if left to simmer and fester unattended they can represent a significant security risk.

The traditional concept of national security deals primarily with well being of the state, the protection of borders and the pursuit of national interests. Extend this idea to the next level and we have international security which states that the national security of countries is interdependent on each other. Global security goes on to include issues such as social development, human rights and public health. While many nations recognize the need to address the issues of global security there is fear that shifting focus from the traditional concept of national security will leave redirect resources from national defence and has been met with criticism.

In his report Agenda for Peace, former United Nations Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, states that our evolving concepts of security need to account for a  new threat to stability and that drought, famine and an epidemic of disease can devastate no less cruelly than conventional warfare.

It is certain that in the changing dynamics and unique challenges that make up the security risks that we face today on a global scale, health challenges present themselves in the form of non-traditional and uncertain threats. This does not imply that all health issue pose grave security threats because they dont, but there are those that do pose such a threat. The need to address such threats has become apparent with a growing sense of urgency in recent years and governments need to understand that pressing health issues require more thought then they currently receive.

One such threat that has largely been ignored by a lot of countries but which may have far reaching consequences on a global scale is the HIVAIDS epidemic  that is now found in every nation of the world. AIDS is caused by the HIV virus which stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is different from other virus in that it attacks the immune system which impedes the bodys ability to fight off infections rendering the carrier very vulnerable to all sorts of diseases. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and is the final stage HIV infection. At this point the virus has weakened the immune system of the body to such an extent that it is unable to fight off most infections.

Scientists have identified the origin of the HIV infection to a type of a chimpanzee found in West Africa. (CDC, 2010) Over the years the virus has slowly spread across Africa and into other parts of the world with 33.4 million people infected with the virus by the end of 2008 and 25 million deaths globally since 1981. The most affected region is Sub-Saharan Africa with 22.4 million infected people which come up to around 67 of the total number of people infected worldwide. (UNAIDS 2010)
Even the powerful and wealthy nations of the world have been unable to guarantee to their citizens, a life free from the threat of HIV. And in todays age of globalization, it is virtually impossible to for any country to completely safeguard itself from the spread of the virus and the repercussions-economic or social-that are bound to follow.

In July 2000, the United Nations Security Council recognized that HIV poses a threat to the national security of the countries of the world by the passing of Resolution 1308. (United Nations, 2000) Since then there has been considerable debate on the effect of the pandemic on national security. While most agree that in Sub-Saharan countries where even more than 10 of the populations are affected, HIV does indeed pose a serious security threat. However, countries where the virus is not so rampant are reluctant to modify the national security priorities to allow more resources to be allocated to HIV. The EU, Japan and the United States have been particularly averse to admitting the threat HIV could pose to their economies.

The reluctance to accept HIV as a threat to global security is not only confined to governments. Even academics and political theorists have been known to dismiss the magnitude and multitude of the effects that the pandemic can have on our security. The lack of irrefutable data-evidence that the pandemic has been responsible for events that imperilled our society-has been a major barrier to the realization and acceptance of the HIV as a security threat.

Addressing the UN General Assembly on 2nd June 2005, Secretary-General Kofi Annan asserts that the growth of the AIDS epidemic was accelerating...on every continent, despite an annual expenditure of about 8 billion on the treatment, care, and prevention of the virus. He further adds that It is clear that the epidemic continues to outrun our efforts to contain it.

As mentioned before, the most affected region is Sub-Saharan Africa. However, this is not merely a statistic. The countries in the region are subject to abject poverty, most governments are corrupt, dictatorial regimes and living conditions and healthcare are perfunctory at best. Add to all this a deadly virus such as the HIV and the consequences can be well imagined. These countries do not have the massive resources, financial or otherwise, required to take appropriate measures to contain the spread of the virus. This is magnified by the fact that the masses acutely lack awareness about the diseases, aiding it in its spread. This region is also hit by a spate of other diseases and condition which serve to either mask or exacerbate the toll HIV is taking on their society.

Botswanas President Festus Mogae is well aware of this fact. Addressing the Economic Commission of Africa in December 2000, he states that The impact of HIVAIDS on the population, the economy, and the very fabric of our society undermines not only development, but poses a serious threat to our security and life as we know it. (Festus Mogae 2000) In an interview with Reuters in the same year, Mogae further asserts that, We really are in a national crisis. We are threatened with extinction. People are dying in chillingly high numbers. We are losing the best of young people. Its a crisis of the first magnitude.

Countries facing a high rate of infection, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa face a threat to their very stability. This threat originates from the depletion of the countrys political leadership, its youth, its elite population, its professionals and skilled labor. Keeping in mind that these countries already face an acute shortage of human capital, the loss of their highly skilled people, such as lawyers, doctors, teachers, nurses, engineers, academics, political and civil leaders will create a void that cannot be easily filled.

The rate at which HIV is claiming lives is astonishingly high especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. In just 2008, more than 2 millions people died because of AIDS out of which 1.4 million belonged to Sub-Saharan Africa. (UNAIDS, 2010) This rapid loss of professionals in this region is creating a dearth as their ranks cannot be replenished at an equally rapid rate. Considering that the epidemic is still considered to be in its beginning stages, the death toll is expected to rise considerably in the foreseeable future which would cause this depletion of professionals, politicians, managers and labor to reach proportions bordering on crisis, leaving many countries unable to undertake even the most basic aspects of governance.

The social fabric of a nation has perhaps borne the most malignant and corrosive effect of the AIDS epidemic. It has torn families and communities apart and the long term problems that have been created will continue to have an adverse affect on society even once the immediate results of HIV infections have already taken their toll.

The number of orphans due to death of parents because of the virus has skyrocketed in recent years, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Both, the short term and long term repercussions of these deaths needs to be considered. In the short term, governments must allocate resources, which barely exist, to cater to the basic needs of these orphans such as providing them with homes, food education and healthcare. Equally important is to reconstruct the connection that these children have lost with their families and communities. Failure to do so can have severe long term consequences. As millions of orphans reach adulthood without proper social integration, proper education, technical skills or any concept of a future and goals, an alarming situation takes form. The enormity of the problem can be judged by the fact that at the end of 2008, Africa alone had more than an estimated 14 million orphans.
The most profound reason that explains a lot of the repercussions of the HIVAIDS epidemic is the change in the demographic structure of countries. The age group most highly affected by the virus is between men and women aged between 20 and 50 years. The reason for this is that AIDS is mostly transferred through sexual interaction. The depletion of this age group, which forms the basis of a countrys economy, will have severe repercussions as the population of the dependent elderly and children keeps rising while the working population is consistently on the decline. Children and adolescents already outnumber adults and the over life expectancy is on the decline which will further aggravate the problem. Also adding to the mess is the high proportion of orphans among the children, as they are dependent upon the community and the government even for their very basic needs.

In a speech in 2003, US Secretary of State opines how HIV is reshaping the demography of the nations where the HIV virus is rampant. He states that, Its a foreign policy issue not just because of this statistic dealing with loss of life. Its a loss of hope its the destructionof whole families where you have generations wiped out. And the generation thats most critical is the middle generation. In the absence of that generation, wealth is lost to the country, hope is lost, families are broken, and orphans are created. It is every bit as much a crisis as Iraq or any other crisis that you might choose to point out.

The declining life expectancy as a result of the spread of HIV is one of the major threats faced by hard hit countries as it inadvertently leads to diminishing state capacity. Statistics issued by the US Census Bureau tell us a very grim tale. By 2010, 40 nations in the world will face declining life expectancies and the cause of this decline will be AIDS in 35 countries. Again the most affected region is Sub-Saharan Africa with 25 countries experiencing declining life expectancy. While tuberculosis, malaria and general poverty claim their share of life, AIDS is the driving force behind the decrease in life expectancy.

This decrease is essentially leading to reversal of years of development. In Malawi for instance, life expectancy by 2000 had decreased to the countrys 1969 level. In the same time horizon from 1969 to 2000, Zambias life expectancy reduced by almost 32.4 years, Lesothos by 14.4 years and Botswanas by 16 years. (U.S. Census Bureau 2010) Such a decrease, in the absence of war, is so significant thats its importance cannot be stressed enough.

For more developed countries where citizens have access to adequate medical resources, there is greater awareness among the masses on how to protect themselves from the disease and the government has enough resources to both provide medical services and create awareness the direct implications of HIV are not felt so strongly.

However, this does not mean that such are countries are free from the menace that is HIV. With increasing globalization and immigration, there is always the threat that the virus can spread. With thousands of foreign troops stationed in areas where the disease in rampant, the chance of transference are even stronger.

The apathy of the governments of developing nations in dealing with this pandemic has been apparent. Especially in developing countries, where the virus is not widespread there is a risk that the irresponsible attitude of governments may lead to a failure to contain this threat. It is understandable why governments are not willing to allocate more resources towards something they do not perceive as a real threat but the situation in Africa should serve as a lesson to us all. It is high time for governments to take action and at the very least create awareness among the masses about the spread of the disease. Prevention is cheaper than cure.

The threat faced by developed countries is more indirect in nature. In todays world, threats are increasingly inter-related and a threat to one should be considered a threat to all. It is imperative for the security of the more affluent states, that the HIV epidemic is contained in the poorer nations of the world. Another concern for the developed nations is their growing dependence on African countries for oil and natural resources. With a hostile public opinion in the Middle East, western countries, especially the United States needed an alternative source and Africa was the obvious choice. However, the HIV epidemic and the dwindling labor, coupled with a reluctance on the part of foreign companies to invest in countries where the disease is rampant and has already taken its toll on the population, Africa has proven to be an unreliable source.

While less afflicted and developed countries such may not be directly affected by the pandemic as poorer or developing nations, the virus does add to their security concerns and creates an atmosphere of increased risk. The HIV virus has been knows to complicate foreign policy and cause diplomatic rows. It has led to economic losses for developed countries and has also been a cause of increased resentment against the west in highly affected nations. All in all this HIV has made the job of policy makes more difficult as they strive to carve a better future for their people.

Also the lack of evidence of a direct threat for developed nations does not mean that this is necessarily so. The danger exists that as the pandemic continues to grow direct threats may emerge and countries need to be prepared for any such eventuality.

As far as armed forces and military personnel are concerned, it is safe to assume that the percentage of individuals infected may be the same proportion of the general population. However, this percentage maybe higher in countries that where the virus is already widespread. This impedes the nations ability to recruit and maintain a healthy army and police force which gives rise to a plethora of other problems. A large number of affected countries face some sort of insurgency and this disability to maintain armed forces or police required to keep law and order under control stretches the already scant resources available.

There is another form of threat that HIV infection can pose and this has the potential to harm millions and lead countries to declare wars. Deliberate spread of the HIV infection is not unknown and state conflict has ensued from such claims. In April 2004, a Palestinian man was arrest by Israeli forces and charged with conspiracy to mount a suicide attach using a bomb to scatter HIV infected blood in a public place. Similarly, the Indian government in 2004 accused Pakistan of deliberately spreading the HIV infection in occupied Kashmir and termed it a form of Islamic jihadi terrorism.

The Global community has recently awakened to the threat of HIVAIDS and began to take some concrete steps. Led by the United Nations with the United States of America at the forefront of efforts, the world has begun to respond to this global health and security crisis. Organizations such as UNAIDS, the World Health Organization and the World Bank have initiated global programs to alleviate the effect of the HIVAIDS epidemic on our society. Other programs such as the The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and the U.S. Presidents Emergency Program for AIDS Relief are specifically designed to help critically affected countries.

Referred to many as the plague of the 21st of century, the HIVAIDS pandemic has the potential to wreak havoc on our world. We stand to lose the developments we have made in social, economic and political arenas in the last 3 centuries. The precious loss of life, the increased cost of healthcare and the deterioration of the very fabric of modern society are just some of the potential risks that we face. Due to a lack of skilled labor and resources, which we will need to divert towards the control of HIVAIDS, industries and businesses will fail and we can anticipate an economic meltdown the world over. HIV has shaken the very concept of planning for the future for many developing nations of todays world.
While the response by the Global community has been admirable, there are still many concerns that need to be addressed on an urgent basis. Foremost among them is the apparent insufficiency of resources allocated to fight this global hazard. There is a trade off between trying to alleviate the suffering of the millions already affected or to use the resources to try and contain the spread of the virus. The threat posed by HIV is not restricted individual societies or nations rather it is a global threat and as such requires a global response as well.