International Affairs: The oversecuritization of global health: changing the terms of debate

In this article, Clare Wenham, assistant professor of global health policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, examines the linking of health and security. According to the abstract, “this article argues that the consideration of health as a security issue, and the ensuing path dependencies, have shifted in three ways. First, the concept has been broadened to the extent that a multitude of health issues (and others) are constructed as threats to health security. Second, securitizing health has moved beyond a rhetorical device to include the direct involvement of the security sector. Third, the performance of health security has become a security threat in itself. These considerations, the article argues, alter the remit of the global health security narrative; the global health community needs to recognize this shift and adapt its use of security-focused policies accordingly” (9/1).