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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Understanding Zika Outbreak through Security Lense: A Hasty Global Health Panic
Author(s)
Ahmad Alfajri-Riana Mardila
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DOI:10.17265/1548-6648/2018.01.006
Affiliation(s)
Department of International Relation, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Tangerang Selatan, DKI Jakarta 15412, Indonesia
ABSTRACT
In 2015, the Zika outbreak
has caused a global panic. It spreads rapidly from the
Latin land (Brazil), North America (United States of America), to Asia (such as
Indonesia, Malaysia). USA, as a superpower country, made it seem
critical as he requested emergency fund $1.8 billion from his national state’s budgetary to prevent and to treat this disease. Brazil undertook securitization act, a strong word and
action, called “war to mosquito” as a treatment and
prevention act. In addition, World Health Organization (WHO) required $56
million to implement the Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan
due to this issue. These undertaken actions therefore wrapped the Zika outbreak
likely as a global health conundrum. Is it really a global health issue? Does
it need securitization? These are the questions that this article is going to
cover. This paper aims to search in what frame Zika outbreak should be
categorized appropriately. This article uses qualitative method with
library research in answering the research question. It is conducted through “International Relation” perspective by
specifically using Barry Buzan’s securitization concept. We will first
determine whether Zika is a threat to national or international security.
Second, we will discuss whether or not it is necessary to securitize Zika. It
is also followed by analysis on what consequences if securitization is held.
Finally, we argue that based on Buzan’s securitization concept, Zika is not a
threat to national and international security. Therefore, securitization is
unnecessary as it does not pose an existential threat to international order,
state, and society in a large scale. In addition, securitization itself entails
a demanding consequences that has not been needed. In conclusion, we
argue that Zika outbreak is a hasty global health panic that instead should be
framed as a public health issue.
KEYWORDS
Zika threat, national security, international security, security, securitization.
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