Chapter 26 Self-test questions

. How has the conceptualization of health as a security issue changed during the 20th century?

Health has long been regarded as a security issue. During the 20th century there was an increasing sense of panic about the potential damage of a serious pandemic disease outbreak in the newly globalized world. Medical advances and a series of successful contained outbreaks have largely allayed these fears.

Since the early 20th century there has been growing recognition of the success in medical and technological advancements that have the ability to keep infectious diseases at bay in the modern population.

Pandemic disease such as COVID-19 is a relatively new threat to security, emerging only in the early 20th century. Therefore, human populations are still formulating and testing new ways of controlling outbreaks and minimizing their impact on security.

During the 20th century, security analysts were predisposed to focus on the potential threat of nuclear confrontation and military combat. Since the reduction in these threats, there has emerged a series of pandemic diseases, and a sense of growing unease at the future impact of more serious outbreaks in an increasingly globalized population.

. In what ways did the Human Development Report, published by the United Nations Development Program in 1994, challenge the traditional security paradigm?

The report outlined seven areas or components of human security that policy-makers should henceforth devote greater political attention and capital to: economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security, and political security.

The report highlighted the considerable burden that infectious diseases continue to pose in the developing world-including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

The report advocates a framework of human security analysis that aims to redress the perceived imbalance in security thinking that has been predominant in traditional security studies.

All of the above

. Which of the following containment tools were employed to following the declaration of the COVID-19 global pandemic?

Strict geographical isolation; mandatory quarantines; suspension of public gatherings; travel bans

Strict geographical isolation; mandatory quarantines; small—scale public gatherings; travel bans

Strict geographical isolation; mandatory quarantines; small—scale public gatherings; evening curfews

Strict geographical isolation; mandatory quarantines; suspension of public gatherings; evening curfews

. Which of the following statements best describes the wider security impacts of disease in terms of achieving security?

Health security is vital to achieving human security, when considering the individual as the referent object of security studies, fatal or potentially fatal infection directly undermines the attainment of security.

As levels of infection within a population rise, the potential for strategically important groups such as civil servants, judges, and government officials etc. to become infected will also rise, thus directly challenging regime security.

Disease within a population threatens security both directly and indirectly, as it affects the health of the individual as well as the ability of that individual to perform vital roles within the wider society.

Health issues, such as the prevalence of infectious disease or the ability of citizens to participate in military service, are not a matter of concern for security analysts.

. In what ways may the security dimensions of infectious disease be considered in the national security framework?

The physical health of armed forces is a paramount concern within the traditional security paradigm.

The innate human fear of microbes makes them particularly amenable to being portrayed not just as important health issues, but as national-security threats as well.

Diseases that traditionally affect certain regions of the world, due to their epidemiologic nature or for socio-economic reasons, are increasingly perceived by national governments as potential threats as a result of globalization.

All of the above

. What is the economic effect of HIV/AIDS on human security?

Reduced earning capacity

Additional medical expenses

Reduced spending on non-food items

All of the above

. Which of the following is a characteristic of biological weapons likely to discourage their use by terrorist groups?

It is difficult to stabilize the biological agents required for an effective terrorist attack, and converting these into weapons is a challenging and technical process.

The component parts required to create a biological weapon (the biological agents) are difficult to acquire.

The deployment of biological weapons makes it difficult or impossible to distinguish between military and civilian targets.

All of the above

. What was the ultimate consequence of framing the Ebola crisis as a security threat?

Heavy investment in the long-term development of medical infrastructure in the global South

The involvement of military forces to assist humanitarian organizations

Rapid development of an effective vaccine

All of the above

. Which of the following characteristics describe 'Category B' agents, as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control?

Category B agents are those that present little to no risk of morbidity within infected populations, but can have detrimental effects on the ability of a group to perform physical tasks.

Unlike Category A agents, B agents refer to emerging security threats which have the potential to be utilized as biological weapons after further development.

Category B agents include food and water security threats, with moderate morbidity rates.

Category B agents are characterized by high mortality rates and include agents which are difficult to treat medically.

. Which of the following statements best describes the process of 'medicalization'?

The term 'medicalization' refers to the process whereby a medical or health issue becomes securitized.

'Medicalization' is the outcome of security dialogue that discusses threats or risks to national security in terms of medical language.

An issue is said to be 'medicalized' when it is dismissed as a security threat, instead deemed to be a medical issue concerning health as mutually exclusive from security.

The perceived 'medicalization' of societies occurs when social issues are increasingly considered and responded to as medical problems.

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