Author: Cindy Sousa
Publication Type: Chapter in a book
Source: Routledge Handbook on the Politics of Global Health
Abstract: Global public health now regularly concerns itself with the health consequences of political violence. Yet, political violence does not only cause direct outcomes measurable in mortality and morbidity, it also undermines the supports that underlie population health by further weakening vulnerable public health infrastructure. In so doing, political violence creates conditions that are exceedingly favorable to the neoliberal agenda, particularly the priorities of privatization and increased dependence on outside 鈥渆xpert鈥 assistance. While it might be unwitting, global health efforts may be complicit with this process of taking advantage of the destabilized state to insert the private sector, a process Klein (2007) refers to as "disaster capitalism." In this chapter, I examine the relationships between political violence, neoliberalism, and global public health. I end by highlighting how our profession must support sovereignty and public health infrastructure in conflict and post-conflict settings through emphasizing advocacy, collective self-determination, and social justice.