AIDS and International Security
The spread of infectious disease is arguably one of the greatest threats to security and democratic governance in the modern world. The World Health Organization estimates that since 1945 three diseases alone--AIDS, TB and malaria--have claimed 150 million lives, many times the 23 million deaths from wars. Despite the catastrophic effects, however, the relationship among infectious disease, security, and democracy is poorly understood.
The AIDS and Security Project of the Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations explores two interrelated questions. First, the researchers examine the impact of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV) that produces it on democratic governance and national security, particularly the occurrence and severity of international and civil conflict and human rights violations. Second, the project explores the impact of the democratic institutions and the pursuit of security, especially through war, on the spread of HIV/AIDS.
In the Spotlight: AIDS & Security
AIDS and Violent Conflict: Indirect Effects of Disease on National Security
By Susan Peterson and Stephen Shellman
The popular press, policy officials, and academic publications increasingly warn of the negative effects on national security of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes it. Despite these increasingly vocal pleas, however, the idea that HIV/AIDS erodes national security has not become conventional wisdom within the international relations discipline. In this paper, we empirically test the link between HIV/AIDS and two aspects of national security, the severity of human rights abuses and civil conflict. Read the Full Article