The Globalization of Public Health: Emerging Infectious Diseases and International Relations

In this article, Professor Fidler explains how the processes of globalization have altered traditional distinctions between national and international public health. Professor Fidler begins the article by familiarizing the reader with globalization, reminding the reader that globalization refers to the various factors that infringe upon a sovereign state's ability to control what occurs in its territory. Next, the article defines and discusses emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and examines the contributions made by globalization to the emergence and reemergence of EIDs. The article then develops a "pathology of the globalization of public health ", which helps the reader to understand better the relationship between public health and globalization. Professor Fidler suggests that the current EID crisis has made the globalization of public health a permanent feature of international relations. In response to the challenges posed by the globalization of public health, Professor Fidler explores three major international relations theories-realism, liberalism, and critical international theory--to see what lessons these theories offer about dealing with the globalization of public health. While each theory provides insights into the globalization of public health, he argues that the EID crisis creates serious challenges to our traditional frameworks of understanding international relations.