African Perspectives on Global Pandemics and the Challenges of Peace and Security

This book examines the legal and security threat posed by pandemics in Africa and beyond. The authors propose that to effectively counter pandemics, it is necessary for states to transcend beyond a realism approach and to adopt security policies that reflect the multidimensional nature of state authority and functions.

African Perspectives on Global Pandemics and the Challenges of Peace and Security by Masake Pilisano Harris and Richard Obinna Iroanya dissects the effects of pandemics in Africa and the possibilities for countering pandemic outbreaks in the future. The contributors of this volume bring new perspectives on the legal and security challenges of pandemics, covering political, socio-economic, health, security, and legal facets of pandemics nationally and regionally. This book discusses essential topics including: securitization, state behavior and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and political measures during pandemics, the amplification of the insecurities in African states, the increase of crime and criminality related to pandemic challenges, and the economic impacts that surround pandemic outbreaks. Harris and Iroanya bring these thematic areas to light not only to comprehensively analyze countermeasures towards pandemics in Africa, but also to encourage security policies that reflect the multidimensional nature of state authority and functions to tackle the next outbreak more affectively.