4 Strategic Vision vol. 9, no. 45 (March, 2020) A New Normal
Richard J. Hu
!"#$ #"%&!'() ($!"*(# normally call for tines, and e3ective medical actions to international new security countermeasures. With the economic supply chain disruptions, travel bans, fu- Fsudden outbreak and swi+ spread of the ture warfare, and even legal endeavors, to name but COVID-,- pandemic, leaders around the world still a few. All of these areas have opened themselves up cannot see the big picture, nor will the .nal contours for innovative thinking and a creative reimagining of the danger it poses in a variety of policy areas be of ways to better manage human security, biological made clear anytime soon. Nonetheless, from recent threats, .+h-generation warfare, and urgent trans- observations and analytical reports, while more cau- national cooperation and con4ict critical to dealing tious consideration and in-depth research are a de.- with future security issues. nite necessity, at least seven immediate security and Second, the outbreak and rapid spread of COVID-,- strategic implications may be quickly identi.ed in has illuminated the dominant status of sovereign the ongoing .ght against COVID-,-. states while spotlighting vulnerabilities of securi- First, the pandemic is already being viewed as a wa- ty safeguarding systems of many governments, the tershed event by scholars and practitioners of both United States in particular, in protecting their own conventional and non-conventional security. It there- people. Crisis management preparations and resourc- fore carries new challenges to academics, policymak- es that entail painstaking logistical planning such as ers, and other professionals. Conspiracy theories can having an appropriate amount of face masks, negative be just as lethal as the viral disease itself. Whether pressure isolation wards, and other personal protec- the origin of the COVID-,- outbreak was due to dis- tive equipment are surely vital lessons that need to organized mismanagement at the P/ lab at China’s be learned immediately. Wuhan Institute of Virology, or a “masterstroke” According to media reports, the United States is fac- by America’s clandestine special operations while ing a shortage of specialized masks (N-5 respirators) Wuhan was hosting the 01,- Military World Games, and ventilators. 2e shortage has prompted federal or simply a pandemic that made the jump to humans health o6cials to loosen their recommendations on from animals such as bats and pangolins, there is still the face protection that frontline medical doctors a lack of concrete scienti.c evidence to conclusively and health workers should use to prevent infection determine the origins of the virus. 2e outbreak of from the highly contagious disease. 2erefore, states the COVID-,- pandemic will have rapid, broad, and need to prepare their healthcare systems for what is profound repercussions over a variety of policy areas to come. While the rumors that went out and cre- ranging from human interactions, domestic quaran- ated chaotic conditions such as panic buying and
Dr. Richard J. Hu is a retired ROC Army general and a professor at Shi-shin University in Taipei, Taiwan. He can be reached at [email protected] A New Normal 5 stockpiling daily necessities like toilet paper, timely pandemic might prove to be an important national strategic communication to convince people to stay security issue. Given that SARS-CoV strongly im- calm is of great importance. pacted China just ,8 years ago, this inadvertent ne- From a variety of perspectives, sovereign states glect serves as a reminder of the importance of think- still play the most signi.cant role in .ghting the ing outside the box, and being prepared to encounter COVID-,- pandemic, no matter whether it’s those the unknown unknowns. who stay on high alert and take urgent and proper ac- Furthermore, the outbreak and wild.re-like spread tions, or others who underestimate viral impacts and of the COVID-,- virus must serve as an object les- even try to cover up the truth with lies. Governments son to all governments—especially the Chinese tend to make decisions based on the most cost-e3ec- Communist government—that people’s health and tive option, though. human security are a great imperative for respon- sible leaders operating within modern governance Litmus test systems. Ignoring this will bring unexpected conse- quences and thus could in4ict tremendous harm to 2ird, the COVID-,- pandemic has served as a national and international security. unique and timely litmus test for China’s National Fourth, with the emergence of the COVID-,- pan- General Security Perspectives (NGSP), released by demic, arti.cial intelligence (AI), robotics, and other the National Security Commission of the Communist technological and digital technologies have played a Party of China in 01,7. 2e NGSP has comprehen- signi.cant role in China, Taiwan, and other countries. sive coverage in ,0 policy areas, including security While China uses robots, primarily in the form of perspectives in the realms of political, homeland, unmanned aerial vehicles, and closed-circuit televi- military, economic, cultural, societal, technologi- sion to control and monitor its own people to enforce cal, cyber, ecological, resources, nuclear, and over- quarantines, Taiwan employs big data, QR codes, and seas interests. However, it has apparently ignored the Internet websites for tracking down asymptomatic possibility that a health-related infectious disease or carriers, showing where to buy face masks, and to
photo: Richard Ebensberger The US Military and China’s People’s Liberation Army hold meetings on health exchange in September 2018 in Xian, China. 6 STRATEGIC VISION
photo: Tauno Tohk The Wuhan Railway Station stands nearly empty as the city is locked down as a consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic. provide the necessary services within a reasonable as hubs to transmit infectious diseases. time. For better or worse, technology will play a big- Fear has also fostered a new wave of xenophobia and ger role in security issues in the future. promoted racism to a higher level. 2e COVID-,- Fi+h, COVID-,- provides an unexpected chance pandemic is severely disrupting the world’s manufac- to accurately re-examine the status of existing inter- turing supply chains and major .nancial activities, national relationships and the complex interdepen- which are key elements of the neoliberal approach dences that emerged during the era of globalization. to international security. 2e pandemic and its rapid In particular, the many functions of such internation- spread across multiple continents within just two to al institutions as the United Nations’ World Health three months, and security measures like initiating Organization (WHO) and economic interdependence travel bans and border controls adopted by certain like interstate trade are the products of neoliberal countries, have shed light on the need to reassess the thinking as a facilitator of global security. 2e institu- merits of globalization and of neoliberal assumptions tions operating within what is inherently an anarchic on international relations. world system have been shown to be inexcusably weak when it comes to dealing with global catastrophe. Fragility of networks 2is weakness was made especially evident in how the WHO has dealt with the COVID-,- pandemic. Sixth, as the COVID-,- pandemic has vividly dem- Whereas building border walls might have some onstrated, the sensitivity, vulnerability, and fragility of positive e3ects on preventing illegal migrants enter- our networked world reveals a need for stronger co- ing speci.c countries, potential super-spreaders, or operation mechanisms for managing common threats spreaders with visas and passports, can still easily in- that are critical to national and international security. .ltrate through customs gates before they have shown Multilateral actions, honest and accurate reporting any signi.cant symptoms or been con.rmed as viral of infectious viral outbreaks and con.rmed cases, cases, at least in the .rst few weeks. Places like air- collaborative actions on medical solutions, such as ports, shopping malls, restaurants, buses, cruise ships, e3ective test kits and e3ective vaccines, have brought schools, o6ces, and workplaces are now recognized serious challenges to governments and international A New Normal 7 organizations. 2ese new policy priorities need to be Vietnam War and the Korean War added together.” pragmatically addressed and responded to in e3ec- 2is is an estimation emerging from the world’s su- tive and collective ways. perpower. All of these images epitomize what is hap- Finally, the mammoth worldwide impact and star- pening, and what could happen again in the future. tling velocity of COVID-,- transmission has demon- Most people have never witnessed a phenomenon strated just how terrible the potential fallout of weap- like this in their lifetime. As previously mentioned, ons of mass destruction, particularly the destruction the destructive impact created by biological weapons, triggered by biological weapons, would be. Whereas either deployed by state actors or non-state actors, has the atomic bomb was instrumental in ending the long been underestimated. 2us, new illustrations of Paci.c War in the Second World War, the spread of the power of biological weapons might spur creative, the COVID-,- pandemic has had a larger in4uence if unethical, strategies for future warfare. over a variety of policy sectors and geographical ar- On ,, March, 0101, as the coronavirus was quickly eas around the world. 2e coronavirus pandemic has spreading across the globe, the WHO .nally declared spurred the cancellation of the 01,--0101 basketball a global pandemic. Although its director-general, Dr. season and decimated the airline and travel indus- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated, “We’re deeply tries. Furthermore, China has imposed quarantines concerned by the alarming levels of spread and sever- on the entire country for weeks, and America has is- ity,” he did not hesitate to point out alarming levels of sued a ban on travel from Europe for 91 days. inaction at the same time. From the estimates provided by Dr. Anthony Fauci, 2e COVID-,- pandemic, in a somewhat ironic the director of the US National Institute of Allergy way, has revealed the weaknesses and limitations of and Infectious Diseases, the pandemic could kill human modernization and civilization. Both brains ,11,111 to 011,111 Americans. Maryland Governor and brawn are still necessary to shorten the painful Larry Hogan warned that “To put that in perspective, learning curve on enhancing national and interna- that would mean more American deaths than the tional security as well.
photo: Wikipedia The National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States has cancelled the entire basketball season due to COVID-19.