Covid-19 and international cooperation: IR paradigms at odds

Scoping review of international relations theories in health security: A cue for health diplomacy

Background

Health security as a domain has gained tremendous importance in the recent past. Emerging and re-emerging diseases globally, coupled with the derailment of the determinants of health mainly the socio-political environment, has made health security a cross-cutting entity in diverse fields including International Relations (IR). With the ongoing global polycrisis, the health-related issues which were previously sidelined as a concept of less strategic importance in the IR field, are now contributing to the shift of the world order. This has instilled an increased participation of IR scholars in the discussions and debates on health security concerns. The field of IR contains numerous theoretical lenses through which scholars analyze such situations, policies, and systems of the world.

Methods

In this paper, we use a scoping review method to inspect how IR theories have been applied in analyzing health security concerns.

Results

We observed that various diverging IR theories have been used to deliberate on states' actions in tackling the recent pandemic and have also been prescriptive about the changing notions of multilateralism and international governing organizations. Realism, liberalism, and securitization were among the most frequently applied IR theories in the context of health security discussions.

Conclusions

This work provides an impetus to enhance the interaction among interdisciplinary teams leading to evolving solutions that can address issues of global importance in the contemporary world.

The effects of COVID-19 on domestic and international security in democratic and authoritarian regimes

While numerous studies have examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected health care systems, supply chains, and economies, we do not understand how the pandemic has impacted the security of democratic and authoritarian states from a global standpoint. Thus, this study examines how COVID-19 has affected the security of democratic and authoritarian regimes. In conducting a historical, qualitative review of the security effects of the pandemic, we find that COVID-19 significantly affected domestic and international security for democratic and authoritarian states in both similar and varied ways. Additionally, the manner in which states responded to the pandemic was often conditioned by their regime type and by the nature of the governing leadership during the pandemic. These findings have important implications in considering how COVID-19 affected the security of democratic and authoritarian states, how regime type shapes government responses to infectious disease outbreaks, and how democratic and authoritarian states may respond to future pandemics.

Identifying factors related to school closures due to COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa region

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and MENA states have taken dramatic steps in response. This study focuses on school closures, an intervention that all MENA states adopted, some much earlier than others. It seeks to identify policy factors related to MENA governments' decisions to close schools during the first wave of the pandemic. Results suggest external issues regarding temporal and geographic diffusion played the largest role. They also indicate that factors related to disease risk, the economy, political institutions, and women's position in society mattered as well, all of which suggest the decisions were complex.

THE NEOREALISM AND NEOLIBERALISM BEHIND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DURING COVID-19

The literature contains much discussion on the contemporary differences between neorealism and neoliberalism, especially in the context of international relations. However there have, as yet, been limited attempts to investigate how these international relations theories fare in explaining state responses to the COVID-19 outbreak. This study reviews the conceptual frameworks underpinning neorealism and neoliberalism and applies them to key state behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak. Some examples of neorealism attached to the current pandemic include: criticism of the role of the World Health Organization, the closure of international borders, international competition to collect pharmaceutical products, bans on exports, richer states protecting their national interests, the international misuse of power during emergency orders, restrictions placed on the international media, and the deployment of military forces. By contrast, neoliberalism's focus on international cooperation is noted in U.S., Chinese, and other countries’ attempts to distribute knowledge and aid internationally, as well as in the efforts of key international organizations like the World Health Organization and the global Covax initiative. I offer an evidence-based conceptual framework using neorealism and neoliberalism to show how both have informed international behavior during the COVID-19 outbreak—although continued emphasis on the former shows few signs of abating as the pandemic approaches its third year.

COVID-19 and Quality of Life: Twelve Reflections

COVID-19 has severely affected the world since December 2020. Because of its sudden onset and highly contagious nature, the world has responded in a "crisis management" manner. With effective vaccines almost available, it is appropriate at this time to have some reflections about COVID-19 in relation to the quality of life issues. In this paper, we highlight twelve issues for reflection, which can help us better prepared for future pandemics. These include: digital divide, health inequality, gender inequality, economic disadvantage, family well-being, impact on holistic well-being, economic development versus saving lives, consumption versus environmental protection, individual rights versus collective rights, international collaboration versus conflict, prevention of negative well-being, and promotion of positive well-being.