Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading
In this article, we analyze the emergence of a global security norm of the COVID-19 epidemic as a threat to international security. This crisis is one of the gravest crises that humanity has experienced since the end of World War II in terms of the number of people infected and died, but also in ter...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/7/266 |
| _version_ | 1797415846095618048 |
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| author | Christian Kaunert Sarah Leonard Ori Wertman |
| author_facet | Christian Kaunert Sarah Leonard Ori Wertman |
| author_sort | Christian Kaunert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, we analyze the emergence of a global security norm of the COVID-19 epidemic as a threat to international security. This crisis is one of the gravest crises that humanity has experienced since the end of World War II in terms of the number of people infected and died, but also in terms of the economic consequences. Here, we provide a framework for understanding the securitization of the COVID-19 epidemic as an international norm defined and promoted by the World Health Organization as a norm entrepreneur, and cascaded down to the level of member states. We identify the actors who developed the main strategic prescriptions of the security norm and the international mechanisms that promoted the cascading of its contents throughout the international system. We further develop the notion of primary and secondary norms, which explain the striking differences amongst industrialized states with regard to the contents, scope, and implementation timeline of the various measures aiming to curb the spread of the virus. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:55:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-89d6ac7b3cb44ebd99410a2f1bd43424 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:55:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-89d6ac7b3cb44ebd99410a2f1bd434242023-12-03T12:14:16ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602022-06-0111726610.3390/socsci11070266Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm CascadingChristian Kaunert0Sarah Leonard1Ori Wertman2School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, IrelandDepartment of Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UKInternational Centre for Policing and Security, University of South Wales, Pontypridd CF37 4BD, UKIn this article, we analyze the emergence of a global security norm of the COVID-19 epidemic as a threat to international security. This crisis is one of the gravest crises that humanity has experienced since the end of World War II in terms of the number of people infected and died, but also in terms of the economic consequences. Here, we provide a framework for understanding the securitization of the COVID-19 epidemic as an international norm defined and promoted by the World Health Organization as a norm entrepreneur, and cascaded down to the level of member states. We identify the actors who developed the main strategic prescriptions of the security norm and the international mechanisms that promoted the cascading of its contents throughout the international system. We further develop the notion of primary and secondary norms, which explain the striking differences amongst industrialized states with regard to the contents, scope, and implementation timeline of the various measures aiming to curb the spread of the virus.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/7/266securitizationCOVID-19international normshealth securityWHO |
| spellingShingle | Christian Kaunert Sarah Leonard Ori Wertman Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading Social Sciences securitization COVID-19 international norms health security WHO |
| title | Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading |
| title_full | Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading |
| title_fullStr | Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading |
| title_full_unstemmed | Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading |
| title_short | Securitization of COVID-19 as a Security Norm: WHO Norm Entrepreneurship and Norm Cascading |
| title_sort | securitization of covid 19 as a security norm who norm entrepreneurship and norm cascading |
| topic | securitization COVID-19 international norms health security WHO |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/7/266 |
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