Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-04T23:09:47.940Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

When Health Diplomacy Serves Foreign Policy: Use of Soft Power to Quell Conflict and Crises

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2016

Nasim Sadat Hosseini Divkolaye ,
Mohammad Hadi Radfar ,
Fariba Seighali  and
Frederick M. Burkle Jr
Nasim Sadat Hosseini Divkolaye*
Affiliation:
International Affairs Department, Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, Tehran, Iran Global Health Policy Degree Candidate, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Mohammad Hadi Radfar
Affiliation:
Shahid Labbafinejad Hospital, Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Fariba Seighali
Affiliation:
Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research & Education on Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
Frederick M. Burkle Jr
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Nasim Sadat Hosseini Divkolaye, LLM, Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) BLDG, Hemmat EXPY, Adjacent to Milad Tower, Tehran, Iran, (e-mail: na_hosseini@yahoo.com).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Health diplomacy has increasingly become a crucial element in forging political neutrality and conflict resolution and the World Health Organization has strongly encouraged its use. Global turmoil has heightened, especially in the Middle East, and with it, political, religious, and cultural differences have become major reasons to incite crises.

Methods

The authors cite the example of the human stampede and the deaths of over 2000 pilgrims during the 2015 annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca.

Results

The resulting political conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia had the potential to escalate into a more severe political and military crisis had it not been for the ministers of health from both countries successfully exercising “soft power” options.

Conclusion

Global health security demands critical health diplomacy skills and training for all health providers. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 4)

Keywords

health diplomacyhumanitarian crisesHajconflictglobal health security
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 5 , October 2016 , pp. 724 - 727
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Global Health Diplomacy. World Health Organization website. http://www.who.int/trade/diplomacy/en/. Accessed November 27, 2015.Google Scholar
2. Novotney, TE, Kickbusch, I. Global health diplomacy: a bridge to innovative collaborative action. Innovating for health and development. Global Forum Update on Research for Health. 2008;5:41-45. http://graduateinstitute.ch/files/live/sites/iheid/files/sites/globalhealth/shared/1894/GHD%20-%20a%20bridge%20to%20innovative%20collaborative%20action.pdf. Accessed November 25, 2015.Google Scholar
3. Anderson, MB. Do No Harm: How Aid can Support Peace---or War. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers; 1999.Google Scholar
4. Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. Preventing Deadly Conflict. Final Report. Washington, DC: Carnegie Corporation of New York; December 1997.Google Scholar
5. Humanitarian Health Action: Health as a Bridge to Peace - Humanitarian Cease-Fires Project (HCFP). World Health Organization website. http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/hbp/cease-fires/en/. Accessed November 25, 2015.Google Scholar
6. Hopkins, DR, Withers, PG. Sudan’s war and eradication of Dracunculiasis. The Carter Center website. Available at: http://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc1255.html. Accessed Published March 18, 2003. November 25, 2015.Google Scholar
7. Reed R. Lifelines to the Innocent: Children caught in War. A Framework for Survival. Cahill K, Ed. New York: Basic Books; 1993.Google Scholar
8. Richards, LJ. Health services for refugees in host country hospitals: Croatia (1993-1997). Med Glob Surviv. 1999;6(1):28-35.Google Scholar
9. ANERA. Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon. ANERA Reports. Vol. 3. http://www.anera.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/LEBRefugeeReport.pdf. Published June 2012. Accessed January 7, 2016.Google Scholar
10. Nye, J. Soft power: the means to success in world politics. Foreign Affairs. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/2004-05-01/soft-power-means-success-world-politics. Published May/June 2004. Accessed November 25, 2015.Google Scholar
11. Burkle, FM Jr, Martone, G, Greenough, PG. The Changing Face of Humanitarian Crises. Brown Journal of World Affairs. Spring/Summer 2014;XX(11):25-42. http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/BROWN%20JOURNAL%20HUM%20CRISES%20BURKLE%20MARTONE%20GRRENOUGH%202014.pdf. Accessed January 7, 2016.Google Scholar
12. Gambrell, J. Saudi Arabia hajj disaster death toll at least 2,177. AP. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/578f12d781d04f82a7ccf14f818e9280/saudi-arabia-hajj-disaster-death-toll-least-2110. Published October 20, 2015. Accessed May 5, 2016.Google Scholar
13. Iranian death toll from Mina crush at 464. PressTV. http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/10/01/431485/Iran-pilgrims-Mina-crush. Published October 1, 2015. Accessed November 27, 2015.Google Scholar
14. 36 Iranian Hajj pilgrims still missing. IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency). http://www.irna.ir/en/News/81859124/. Published November 29, 2015. Accessed November 30, 2015.Google Scholar
15. Mina Crush; sign of Iran-Saudi Arabia continued tension? The Iran Project. http://theiranproject.com/blog/2015/10/06/mina-crush-sign-of-iran-saudi-arabia-continued-tension/. Published October 6, 2015. Accessed on 25 October 2015.Google Scholar
16. The condolence of Saudi government to Iranians. IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency). http://www.irna.ir/fa/News/81780499/. Published October 1, 2015. Accessed May 14, 2016.Google Scholar
17. The presence of Iranian MOH in Saudi Arabia was very helpful. Moj News Agency. http://tnews.ir/news/D59849449689.html. Published October 5, 2015. Accessed November 29, 2015.Google Scholar
18. Feldbaum, H, Michaud, J. Health diplomacy and the enduring relevance of foreign policy interests. PLoS Med. 2010;7(4).Google Scholar
19. Kickbusch, I, Novotny, T, Drager, N, et al. Global health diplomacy: training across disciplines. Bull World Health Organ. 2007;85(12):971-973.Google Scholar
20. Horton, R. Health as a foreign policy instrument. Lancet . 2007;369(9564):806-807.Google Scholar
21. Ebersole, JM. Health, peace and humanitarian cease-Fires. Health in Emergencies. December 2000;8:1-7. http://www.who.int/hac/about/6060.pdf. Accessed January 7, 2016.Google Scholar
22. Chan, M, Store, JG, Kouchner, B. Foreign policy and global public health: working together towards common goals. Bull World Health Organ. 2008;86(7):498.Google Scholar
23. Burkle, FM Jr. Healthcare Providers & Peace Building: A Developing Public Health Concept. International Conference on Violent Conflict & Public Health. Atlanta, GA: The Carter Center; 2000.Google Scholar
24. Hess, G, Pfeiffer, M. Comparative analysis of WHO “Health as a Bridge for Peace” case studies. Humanitarian Health Action. World Health Organization website. http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/hbp/comparative_analysis/en/index5.html. Published December 2015. Accessed January 7, 2016.Google Scholar