SARS-CoV-2: How a Development Issue Became an International Security Priority

This paper discusses the relationship between development and security in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Global health and military expenditure are compared and a distinction made between the concepts of security and protection. In addition to a review of the responsibilities countries assumed on adopting the International Health Regulations (2005), the global health security index is analyzed and found to come up short in its ranking of countries that allegedly have the best-equipped health sectors. The article concludes that prevention and the building of safe societies are the most effective means of achieving the development goals.