Security Studies – Approaches to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Security Studies – Approaches to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
June 5, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic, identified first in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, has proven to be one of the most significant global challenges in recent history. According to the World Health Organization (2023), as of “April 30, 2023, over 765 million confirmed cases and over 6.9 million deaths have been reported globally”. Amid the crisis, various approaches to security have come to the fore, shaping responses to the pandemic at both the national and international levels. In line with this, an analysis of the responses of various nation-states would show that three major theoretical frameworks in security studies – traditional or state-centric security, human security, and critical security studies – offer different perspectives on how security is conceptualized and pursued. Each of these approaches has found resonance in different aspects of the global response to COVID-19, reflecting the complexity and multifaceted nature of the pandemic. Nonetheless, this paper will explore these security paradigms in-depth and argue that a multifaceted approach, a combination of these approaches, best explains the global response to COVID-19.
Overview of Security Approaches
Traditional or State-Centric Security
Traditional or state-centric security, rooted in realism and neorealism, views the state as the primary referent of security and centers on protecting national interests, territorial integrity, and political sovereignty (Singh & Nunes, 2016). The emphasis is on military and diplomatic measures, often seen as the primary tools for achieving and maintaining security. Nevertheless, in line with Covid-19 and other health crises, state-centric security focuses on protecting the state from the destabilizing impacts of disease, such as economic decline or social unrest. It concerns itself primarily with how health crises affect state power and the ability of the state to fulfill its essential functions (Elbe, 2009).
Human Security
Human security, in contrast, is an approach that broadens the concept of security beyond the state to focus on the security of individuals and communities (Newman, 2010). It encompasses many threats, including disease, and emphasizes the importance of development, public health systems, and social protections in enhancing security.
Accordingly, the human security approach emphasizes the direct impact of disease on human well-being and survival, focusing on vulnerable and marginalized populations. It often advocates for interventions that address underlying social and economic vulnerabilities in addition to treating the disease itself (Newman, 2010).
Critical Security Studies
Finally, critical security studies challenge traditional notions of security by interrogating the underlying power structures and discourses that define who or what is to be secured (Browning & McDonald, 2013). They scrutinize the societal, political, and economic structures that influence the distribution of security and insecurity.
According to Peoples and Vaughan-Williams (2010), in the context of health crises, critical security studies might examine the pol...