Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
indeed features this differential immunity, forces from developing countries can
pose a significant health threat to those from developed ones, which can affect the
course of war.
the pandemic has important implications for regional stability as well. First,
some of the countries that are likely to be most affected by the pandemic, such
as china and Indonesia, are significant regional or global players in international
politics. Indonesia, with the largest Muslim population, has played a crucial role
not only in the global efforts against international terrorism but also in sustaining
regional stability. Second, political leaders in authoritarian states might choose to
engage in foreign excursions to deflect public attention from domestic sociopolitical
turmoil caused by the pandemic. alternatively, dictatorship can be strengthened in
certain countries as the leaders embrace hyper-nationalism to rally the masses and
restore political order. third, the pandemic could inhibit the military's ability to
participate effectively in international peacekeeping. on the one hand, the pandemic
may reduce a contributing state's willingness to participate in peacekeeping
operations, especially in countries that are suffering high morbidity and mortality
because of the pandemic. on the other hand, states may become less willing to host
peacekeeping missions when troops from affected countries are seen as vectors for
the proliferation of the pandemic. as a result, international ability to enforce peace
agreements or ceasefires will be compromised, and this could rekindle international
conflicts or civil wars in flashpoint regions.
Government and international response to the pandemic can potentially
be politicised and can have important implications for north-South relations.
Quarantines or restrictions on trade imposed by the developed countries could
exacerbate socioeconomic crises in those countries. In addition, because most
of the drug patent holders are in the developed countries, apathy toward sharing
patents, antiviral drugs, or vaccines with the developing world will fuel hatred and
resentment against the north. Populist leaders in the South may find it expedient to
blame the north for their own lack of capacities in handling the outbreak. Strained
north-South relations could play into the hands of international terrorism and further
destabilise the western world.
The pandemic influenza is also set to be a factor in the very balance of power in
the world. the proliferation of the virus can lead to changes in power in both absolute
and relative terms. In absolute terms, the pandemic-induced effect on physical and
human capital as well as on fighting capabilities will change a state's level of power
over the long run, if power is measured in terms of GDP or military strength. In
relative terms, since the economic and sociopolitical impacts vary across states and
economies, some states will suffer less damage than others and therefore enjoy an
advantage in the relative distribution of capabilities between states. History abounds
with cases of infectious disease outbreaks unsettling the balance of power and
changing the international and strategic landscape. the Plague of Justinian led to the
collapse of Byzantine Roman Empire in the sixth century. Black Death intensified
military exposure to disease, especially to bubonic plague, and was considered a
real factor in undermining Mongol military might in the 14th century (Mcneill
