At the onset of this century, it is difficult to define the concept of security. One thing is sure: we all want healthy lives. The world populations have encountered many diseases but there is one that could become rampant and extremely dangerous to all human beings - AIDS.
AIDS changes humans’ lives from safe to dangerous, from healthy to disease-ridden and from productive to destructive. According to International Crisis Group’s figures for 2001, over 22 million have already died from AIDS and many more millions will die in the years to come as the disease will spread to other continents. One of the UNAIDS latest reports estimates that in 2008 there were 2 million deaths related to AIDS, 2.7 million newly infected and 34 million living with HIV.
I hope not to ‘exaggerate’ by saying AIDS kills, and if not tackled seriously, will continue to kill more people than terrorism, war or regional conflicts taken together around the world. Somebody would have realized this death toll as the disease was finally recognized as a security issue in 2000 by the UN Security Council through resolution 1308.
To prevent the negative consequences of AIDS, nation-states and all non-state actors must cooperate firmly and quickly before the disease travel across borders and start to live in many countries thus becoming global phenomenon.
Demographic Impact
By the end of 2002, 42 million were living with HIV/AIDS and 22 million have already died of the disease. Near 30 million of the infected lived in sub-Saharan Africa, 6 million in South and South-east Asia and 2 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. In total 53 countries have been infected with AIDS (UNAIDS, 2002). Between 1995 and 2025, it is estimated that 98 million additional deaths will occur related to the disease. Al those figures are striking, aren’t they?
More importantly, the major age group affected by the disease is that of 19-45 (UN, 2004). As a matter of fact, those people are the main human capital of a country. They are the most talented and skilled individuals a country needs. AIDS thus kills the most important layer of population. It does not mean that other age groups are not important but simply that the 15-49 age groups are the ones a country depends upon the most.
Strain on Firms and Businesses
Regarding the population, we have mentioned that AIDS kills the most skilled individuals. It makes the impact of the disease on firms and businesses a significant one. A firm or company is mainly constituted of people having good skills, knowledge and abilities called directors or managers and people having basic skills-workers.
The replacement of skilled individuals is not always an easy task. And in many African countries where AIDS is rampant for instance, it will take a considerable amount of time and capital to find new ones and to replace the ill. It will damage the competitiveness of the companies not only on regional but on international level as well. Depending on the country where the company is operating, those challenges related to AIDS can also lead to the bankruptcy of the firm.
The Health Sector
It is appropriate to take into consideration the impact of AIDS on the health sector itself. In countries where the disease swallows most of the expenditures and where the disease is rampant, it is highly possible that money is unequally distributed. Consequently other infectious and killing diseases emerge or remain unattended as the primary costs and attention go to AIDS. Moreover, shortage of doctors due to the disease means worse health services and very poor healthcare quality. Even if we have the doctors, it is highly possible not to have the money for treating patients with cardiovascular diseases for instance, for AIDS swallows all the money.
AIDS is Travelling
Due to wars and regional conflicts occurring around the globe, different countries’ soldiers and peacekeepers have to serve in various regions. Very often, soldiers go to countries where the disease is widely spread and the possibility for them to be infected becomes higher.
UNAIDS estimated that sexually transmitted diseases among armed forces are generally two to five times higher than the civil population. US, British and French troops are in operations throughout the world and their soldiers are exposed to the disease and sooner or later they will go back to their home countries. Thus, soldiers can accelerate the spread of the disease among the ordinary civil population of their countries.
AIDS, as we know, is spread sexually or through the blood. The sexual transmission is generally through prostitutes and sex trade. Prostitutes can come from poor countries and be employed in rich countries. In a way, they represent a security danger to the rich countries where they are employed. With the increase of globalization, travel and movement of goods, people and capital, there is not a country in the world that could claim ultimate immunity.
Scramble for Africa
As I mentioned earlier, AIDS affects most of the constituents of a state be they education, economy and health. If those fields are not functioning properly it could lead to turmoil within the country. We can witness confrontations between different social groups namely between rich and poor. In a weakened state due to AIDS and its catastrophic consequences, powerful individuals could take power and impose their demands on the rest of the population. Generally, it results in disorder and lack of democratic governance. It ends in what is called a failed state.
Admittedly, most of the failed states are primarily in Africa and the contribution of AIDS to that failure is significant. However, the African continent is relatively rich in natural resources namely oil and gas. Consumer countries such as the USA, the UK, France, China, India and many others will need those resources for their economies. But in order to benefit from those non-renewable resources, the consuming countries have to make sure that AIDS does not generate turmoil and failed states in Africa. Stability and order have to be seen as the major priorities regarding the African continent. Western countries have economic interests and investments in Africa and cannot turn a blind eye to what AIDS is doing ‘over there’.
Overall, governments and organizations around the world must carry out the right actions in the right places and at the right time, for AIDS is perhaps not curable but it is absolutely preventable.
Sources
AUSAID 2001. HIV/AIDS: A Major International Security Issue, viewed 7 December 2008.
Ayoob, M. (1995). The Third World Security Predicament: State Making, Regional Conflict, and the International System. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.
Davies, S., “Securitizing Infectious Disease”, International Affairs 84, 3 2008.
Feldbaum, H., Lee, K. & Patel, P, “The National Security Implications of HIV/AIDS”, Plos Medicine Vol.3, Issue 6, June 2006
Mcinnes, C.,”HIV/AIDS and Security”, International Affairs 82, 2 2006
UN 2001. Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, viewed 22 December 2008.
UN 2002. World Population Prospects, viewed 19 December 2008.
UNAIDS 2000. AIDS Becoming Africa’s Top Human Security Issue, viewed 5 December 2008.
WHO 1978. Declaration of Alma-Ata, viewed 17 December 2008.
WHO 2002. Basic Documents, Forty-fifth edition: Constitution of WHO, viewed 22 December 2008.
Yanko Yanev - My passions are writing and teaching. I like to work with both children and adults preferably from various socio-cultural backgrounds. I ...
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