Health and human security - Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic - page 180

an important step forward, as specialists earlier had merely archived informa-
tion, as they had neither incentive nor possibility to share it.
The structural problems encountered in Russia may seem insurmount-
able in contrast to the relatively dynamic situation in the Baltic states. It is
clear that no single international collaboration can have any realistic ambi-
tion of transforming Russia. There is little doubt that such a transformation
must originate from inside, and it will surely only be a result of an internal
acknowledgement of its rationale and necessity.
Conclusion: human security as a political tool
In this chapter, we have outlined what could be described as a human secu-
rity threat - the spread of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in the FSU - and
explored international collaborative efforts aimed at addressing this prob-
lem, specifically the introduction of DOTS and the work of the Task Force
on Communicable Disease Control in the Baltic Sea Region. Our research
highlights some of the practical difficulties associated with importing health
methods from the so-called 'Third World', namely DOTS, into the Arctic in
general, and the FSU in particular. These difficulties, to a large extent, stem
from a general unwillingness on the part of Russian medical specialists to
accept what they perceive as being the inherent devaluation of their skills and
medical tradition that importing 'Global South methods' implies.
On a more general level, we would argue that Russian scepticism towards
implementation of Western concepts designed to understand and ameliorate
problems in the 'Global South' may have broad applicability. For our own
part, we include our own scepticism to importing the human security concept,
which also was developed with the Global South in mind, as an analytical tool
in Arctic research. At this point we do not view the concept as being inher-
ently useful in identifying, analysing or resolving issues in our research in
the FSU through operational means. That being said, the discourse of human
security may be useful in helping those involved in addressing health issues
talk about their shared problems. The ability to discuss and communicate
using a shared conceptual language should not be undervalued and may be a
first step towards a more fruitful, less polarized set of positions around which
to facilitate international cooperation. Likewise, the concept of 'security' may
be a more familiar one to elected state officials, bureaucrats and civil servants,
and human security could prove to be a useful rhetorical tool, should it gain
further political currency, in maintaining a focus on health as a pressing and
global issue. For human security to become an integral part of Russian think-
ing about health, though, the concept must be modified to be in step with the
Russian reality, which can only happen with the direct involvement of those
living there.