It is true we live in a global community and it is also a fact that globalization is real and here,but it makes me wonder in as much as globalization has impacted our life so too is nationalism.We should not forget that even though everything is becoming much more closer nations that make up the global village are still individual states or nation consequently when decisions are made at the global level ,each and every nation will be doing so with a mind frame of "what is in this for my country and my people"
In as much as we want to think that global public health should be consider at a global context there are all this issues that makes it difficult to implement all this.Enormous challenges exist in global health especially at the operational levels and at the accountability level.Although the amount of money has increased but the operational gap and the accountability gab is still very significant.
The following question i ask.
-Are people really prepared to leave their nationalist views over global views?
-Are poorer people helped out of pity or is it because it is their fundamental human rights to to have assess to public health ?
-What is in for every nation or country when public health is at a global level?
-Is global public health attainable (especially when some people in countries such as American do not see a reason for a free health care for it own citizens)?
-Is the global community turning in to a giant social system (especially when it comes to global public health)?
With these questions and concerns in mind attaining the millennium development goal by 2015 is something closer to impossible.
You make a good point here in that nationalism can be seen as rising partly due to the process of globalization. However, I do see a much stronger development in the other direction. At least on a regional level (i.e. EU) it can be seen that nations are willing to work together and to give up some of their nationalism/sovereignty in order to benefit the whole region. I do not think that nationalism will be in the way of a global public health development. Rather I would see that for example authoritarian governments or economic reasons might stand in the way of development issues and may be the reason for depriving certain rights from the poor and disadvantaged. This of course leads to problems in health issues as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am saying is that in my view nationalism is not the biggest problem here.
Otherwise, I enjoyed reading both of your texts, very insightful and good questions! :)
-Miweka
Thanks Miweka
ReplyDeleteI understand the point you are making and Europe can be a very good example,but still you can see the how diificult it becomes when important decisions are to be made.Let us just deviate from the issue of health to this present global crisis,you can clearly see that although the representatives of each country decided that the best thing to do was to bail out Greece,European leaders tapped Germany to lead a bailout of Greece we all how Germans were infuriated over the issue.When that happen we started hearing talks like that could cause the dissolution of Eu.
So do we really think that global public health will not face this same obstacles ,and do remember we are not taking about a regional alliance here we are talking about a global world.How hard that will be.
In as much as we do not want to be nationalistic some how we always find that it is really difficult not to.yOU Really make a good point when you say authoritarian government and economic reasons are some of those factors that will stand in the way of attaining a global public health