Yeo Lay Hwee
\nSenior Research Fellow
\nSingapore Institute of
\nInternational Affairs
\nThe Straits Times
\nAsia News Network
\nSingapore<\/p>\n
The way that the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has
\nspread far and wide through travelers shows, on the one hand, how
\ninterconnected the world has become, and on the other, how
\ninternational cooperation and consciousness are lacking in many
\nareas.<\/p>\n
Globalization, the phenomenon which generated so much
\ncontroversy until the war in Iraq, is again in the limelight --
\nthis time because of \"viral globalization\", which is inevitable
\nin this highly interconnected world unless more can be done to
\nstop the spread once the source is identified.<\/p>\n
The speed and distance that the SARS virus has traveled is
\nindeed phenomenal. The fact that so many cases in different
\nplaces -- Hongkong, Singapore, Vietnam, the U.S. and Canada --
\ncan be traced to one single Chinese tourist in Hongkong is
\namazing. Viruses know no boundary and respect no sovereignty.<\/p>\n
This brings us to the issue of international cooperation and
\nhuman security. Environmental degradation, pollution and
\ninfectious diseases may not seem like direct and identifiable
\nthreats to the state. But their impact on human security, and
\nultimately the cost to the social fabric and economic resources
\nof a state are considerable.<\/p>\n
The concept of human security is not new. While the
\ntraditional paradigm concerns national security, achieved
\nprimarily through military capabilities, human security relates
\nto overall human life and dignity.<\/p>\n
Based on the United Nations Development Program's perspective,
\nhuman security is the protection from the threat of disease,
\nenvironmental hazards, hunger, unemployment and crime as well as
\nsocial conflict and political repression.<\/p>\n
While human security is often disregarded by those who take a
\nmore traditional, state-centric approach to security, a more
\nglobalist approach asserts that an international society has
\nemerged that integrates communications, cultures and economics in
\nnew ways and in a manner that transcends state-centric relations.<\/p>\n
The threat of infectious diseases to human security in terms
\nof impact on human life and the quality of life is clear.<\/p>\n
But more importantly, the spread of such diseases can
\nundermine public confidence in the national government, and
\naffect adversely the socioeconomic foundation of the state.<\/p>\n
A more serious and longer-term implication is the potential
\nthat any new virus and disease can have as weapons in biowarfare
\nand bioterrorism.<\/p>\n
Already, we can see that within less than a month of the SARS
\noutbreak in Singapore, it has had a negative impact on certain
\nretail businesses, the tourism industry and its related services,
\nand the transportation industry. The impact and cost of SARS
\nworldwide has yet to be accounted for fully.<\/p>\n
Where terrorism has failed, SARS has almost succeeded. People
\nare cutting down travel, including business travel. With many
\nquarantined, the economies of countries, both with and without
\nSARS outbreaks, are affected in many different ways.<\/p>\n
Globalization has made us interdependent. The movement of
\npeople has increased qualitatively and quantitatively. Current
\nestimates put the number of people crossing international
\nfrontiers aboard commercial flights at more than 500 million
\nevery year.<\/p>\n
However, unlike the challenge posed by traditional concerns
\nsuch as overt aggression, the threats emanating from such issues
\nas the spread of diseases, environmental degradation, organized
\ncrimes and terrorism are far more ambiguous as they are
\ntransnational in character, and beyond the power of any single
\nnation to address on its own.<\/p>\n
Progress in controlling and confronting these problems will
\nhave to come not only through national integrity and measures but
\nalso unprecedented cooperation at regional and international
\nlevels.<\/p>\n
While it is no use pointing fingers with regard to the
\noutbreak of SARS, an important lesson can be learnt. If
\ninformation on the disease had been disseminated quickly, and
\nhelp from regional and international experts sought early, a
\ncollective and collaborative effort might have slowed down the
\nspread, and a diagnostic kit discovered earlier.<\/p>\n
In dealing with issues of human security and problems that
\nhave cross-border implications, openness is crucial. Traditional
\nspatial notions of security and national stability defined purely
\nwithin borders are outdated.<\/p>\n
The spread of infectious diseases has serious implications for
\nthe international system. National governments need to develop
\nways to deal with such issues in a larger global context
\nsystematically, openly and constructively.<\/p>",
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